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rapunzel

Almost a year ago I went on my first actual "Get Away" following the first phase of the pandemic. There was no way you could even think about going abroad then, so next to ticking the Black Cabin off my bucket list I also booked a stay in a refurbished Water Tower in the north of Germany.

And even though I loved the accommodation and the natural park, which began literally next door and was perfect for long cycling tours or hiking, I have not had any ambition to write about this trip up until today.



That is mainly because I also remember it being mentally quite intense. I have travelled on my own many times and really enjoy taking time out for myself without feeling lonely or down in the dumps. However, I did this time around.


In retrospect this is more than understandable, because it had been less than two months after my family and I had to endure the third funeral within a year.

Everything was still so raw. So was the schock of everything being locked down because of COVID and I hadn't really had time to process any of it.

I had a lot of trouble sleeping during my stay, which is unheard of for me. I was up at the crack of dawn, cycling through the fields, because I just couldn't bare staring at the ceiling anymore. I just did not find enough distraction to switch off, which is always the case when I travel abroad and can immerse myself in a different culture.


Anyway - I feel like I need to put it down "on paper" and out there in order to make room for more blog posts in my head, because this one is taking up too much space. Fact is, that I love looking at the images and I even filmed a lot of footage for a Vlog whilst I was there, which I have also edited now, because it would have been a shame to let that footage just sit on a memory card.


The "Wasserturm Waren" is an old listed Water Tower, built in 1897, which houses four apartments in total. It is located approximately two hours north of Berlin right next to the "Müritz", which is the second largest lake in Germany.

The surrounding area is known for its many beautiful lakes and natural parks, which make it a popular holiday spot.


Now - with this water tower naturally being round, you literally walked around in circles in the apartment, which - on the one handside was pretty cool, but it probably didn't necessarily help my mental state, come to think of it. Other than the apartments have a really modern interior in combination with the most beautiful windows. The tower is situated on a little hill and surrounded by a lot of large trees, but if you look closely you can see a little glittery water from the lake through the leafs. The only sounds you hear are pretty much the birds and the wind.



Now - I don't think it comes to anyones' surprise when I say that Germany isn't really the most relaxed country. Even amongst cyclists in the forest it could feel a little tense and not everyone would know what to do with my smile or - dare I say it - a "Hello". There are "warmer" and more welcoming regions in Germany, if I may say so.


Already at Check-In I felt like I was sitting across from my teacher, who summoned me to sit at the kitchen table and handed me some material to read about the area, whilst making sure he collected the overdue council tax from me. Luckily I didn't have to pass a test and I managed to see through it and made myself find it quite cute that he drew the local bus routes on a map for me (after me telling him that I am planning to do mainly cycle)...


However, one situation that really stuck with me, was a visit to a local organic farm, which had a little café and was highly recommended in some of the local trip advisors (did my homework!) - so I wanted to check it out.

It was raining quite heavily when I got there, but they did have a small room with five or so tables to sit on. All tables were taken, so I was trying to make eye contact with the people to see if someone would offer me to sit with them. All of this whilst balancing my coffee, a piece of cake and my helmet in my hands. I am not exaggerating when I say that everyone was VERY focused on not paying any attention to me. Apart from two kids that were staring at me with an open mouth as if the Virgin Mary (in a camouflage raincoat) had just made an appearance. Their mum just briefly looked up at me, but didn't give me a chance to get a word out.

It honestly made me feel so uncomfortable that I placed all my stuff on the window sill and had my coffee and cake standing up and as fast as I could. Still no reaction. There might be a little rant on that in the Vlog (if I decide to include it...). I think this was the moment during the trip where I really just wished I was anywhere else but Germany. So - after that I kept even more to myself, my book and my camera.



Saying that - due to my newly found insomnia I got to see some pretty amazing sunrises during my time there. I discovered a little hideaway right by one of the small lakes that was housing a lot of swallows, who were nesting and I kept going back to that place, because it felt so grounding and soothing. Those birds made me feel more welcome in their home than the humans.



As planned I also did do a lot of cycling, filming and reading. And I had my first swim of the year on the 1st July, which - to be honest - is also unheard of. Writing this I also just remembered that I fell off my bike once - slow like a snail and almost standing, as I always like to fall - and a really nice couple came up to me to see if I was alright. I also chatted to one of the local women at the lake who was really friendly and gave me some good tips for the best places to swim.


So yes - I did meet some nice people along the way, maybe I just didn't have enough positive energy at that time to pick them out.


XX


Check out the Vlog here.


PS: More information on the Water Tower can be found here. It is very booked up so you will need to book way in advance and dare I say it, you may have to travel with a native German speaker as I am not sure how overwhelmed people would be if you address them in English.


The owner told me that before I got there, a family had booked the whole Tower over the Bank Holiday, which I thought was such a lovely idea. Perfect for a family get together with the spiral staircase connecting all the flats, but everyone still being able to enjoy some privacy.

The four flats put together can house 14 people in total.







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