The German Baltic

When I was 4, my grandparents built a house at the beach in a small town called Ostseebad Kühlungsborn at the Baltic in Germany. Since then, we have spent pretty much every summer there with my grandparents. These have been some of the happiest moments of my life. I love the relaxed atmosphere of this seaside town in the summer. Admittedly, any other time of the year I would certainly advise against going to Kühlungsborn, or the other beautiful towns in that area such as Heligendamm and Warnemünde. It is extremely cold and wet and in general, there aren't very many things to do which can make the short Northern European days pretty brutal. 

Alternatively, in the summer the town lights up. Visitors come from all over Germany and Europe and either stay in the huge camping ground that seperates my grandparents place from the beach or stay in rented vacation homes all around the area. The list of things to do is endless. The beach, of course, is absolutely stunning. On warm days (which can only really be found in late July, and you need a certain amount of luck for that as well) the beaches are crowded. Visitors rent "Strandkörbe", which are traditional Northern German wicker seats that can protect you from the breeze and sun. Others just turn up with their beach tents and inflatables. The same stands that sell the Strandkörbe also sell certain snacks and drinks throughout the day, such as Bockwürste, a German sausage, and bread or beer and sodas. For the kids, they also sell different types of ice cream and Haribo gummybears. 

Though the beach days are without a doubt the best attraction in Kühlungsborn, there are also a ton of other things to do. There are many biking trails through the fields and forests that surround Kühlungsborn. On days that are a little colder, people will rent bikes at the many bike rental places around the town and go on bike rides in the countryside. 

In town there are also many things to do. Since the town of Kühlungsborn is divided into East and West, there are basically two "downtowns". The one in West (where my grandparents live) has a couple of hotels made in the old German spatown style, which was the town's main attraction in the 19th century. There are also many cafes and restaurants, many of which overlook the water on the Baltic Platz, which is the main town square along the ocean. The best restaurant in West is probably an Italien restaurant called "Rossini", which is located a little inland from the ocean. After dinner, you can get some of the best Danish soft ice cream at a little hut called Beach 22. During the evening, when a lot of people are strolling around downtown after dinner, performers will play on the Baltic Platz. Some of these performers bring pianos or guitars, some have other performances, such as a particular clown act called "Ingo Bingo" which is extremely popular with the children. East and West are connected by a promenade which runs along the ocean. It brings you to the downtown of East, where the pier is located. East also has a lot of cafes and restaurants, the best one is a rather fancy restaurant called "Tillmann Hahns" which has incredible self-made pastas and traditional German meat dishes. 

I personally love going back to Kühlungsborn every summer. I love the seaside town feel and always feel very comfortable when I come back, as it is like a second home to me.