Rerik (25/06/2025)

For Barbara's birthday, we joined Ania's parents on the coast in the small town of Rerik. We drove from Hamburg and after a bit reached the Baltic Sea coast. Once there, we first celebrated the birthday in their rental apartment and then headed out to explore the town and surroundings. We first walked along the waterfront facing the inner bay and then through the small main square. A short walk led us to the beach, which faces the open sea. It was rather windy and cold, so there weren't many people on the beach, and especially not in the water. We then walked over a small hill behind the dunes of the beach, the Schmiedeberg, on top of which was a viewing platform from where we had a great view of the beach and surroundings. The sun shone through the clouds, and we were thus able to admire the nice panorama. Once back in the small main square, we rejoined with the others and had lunch at one of the restaurants, Captain Flint, where I took a fish dish with salad and potatoes. After lunch, we had another walk along the beach and then decided to visit the old part of town. Here we visited the church of St John, a nice early Gothic brick and fieldstone structure from the 13th century. Its large central front tower is thick and tall, and can be seen from afar, and thus used also for vessels. The interior was decorated in the 17th century in a Baroque style with nice frescoes decorating the ceiling and walls. The altar with wooden fittings, organ, and pulpit are also baroque in style. I then also headed up to the top of the tower to see the bells and the nice view from up there. After the visit we exited the church and had one last stroll around before heading to the rental apartment and eventually back to Hamburg.

The inner bay of Rerik

The beach

View of the town from the Schmiedeberg hill

View towards the beach

Another view of the beach

The typical sunbeds

The church of St John

The main altar

The organ

The Baroque interior

The Gothic exterior