When we first started corresponding together, (a funny story in itself), Hildegunn promised to take me kayaking in Lofoten in Northern Norway, and I promised to take her hiking in the Lake District of Mecklenburg West Pomerania (Mecklenburg Vorpommern).
I’m still waiting for my kayaking trip to Lofoten :P but I did manage to take Hildegunn to Mecklenburg - although not for a hiking tour. Instead we decided to get married there in a spring ceremony.
Why Mecklenburg? And how did we choose Mirow? Well, my fascination with East Germany started with my former girlfriend, who came from this part of the country. With numerous visits to her hometown and my own explorations after we split up, I often flirted with the idea of moving to East Germany to teach English and at one point, I almost bought a house there (a story that’s going to be covered in my Germany Travelogue series).
Boat houses typical of Northern Germany
It was on a trip to Hamburg to visit my good friend Kalle, that I took a side trip to Schwerin, the capital of Mecklenburg, and really fell in love with this part of former East Germany.
Schloss Mirow
Mirow, a West Slavic word meaning ‘peace’, ended up being our chosen place to get married as it wasn’t too far from Berlin airport (to pick up visitors attending the wedding). It was also smack in the middle of the Müritz National Park and Mecklenburg Lake District - the place I had originally offered to take her hiking. It seemed a rather apt place to get hitched!
Style of building typical of Northern Germany
The Lake District and Müritz National Park have over a thousand lakes and are natural sanctuaries for many indigenous flora and fauna. Müritz is certainly one of the most beautiful parks in Germany. We actually got married right at one of the lakes (Kalbersee), which happened to be just around the corner from our Ferienhaus (holiday house) near Babke and Blankenfoerde.
Traditional building on Castle Island
The funny thing is that there are two Mirows in Mecklenburg. We spent our time at the Mirow founded in the 12th century by the Order of Saint John, home to several palaces - Schloss Mirow and Drei Königinnen Palais (three queens palace) - both situated on Castle Island. We had lunch at the old castle brewery there, which has a beautiful Biergarten where you can sit outside and enjoy a view of lake Mirow.
Lake Mirow
From here we took a boat cruise along the network of lakes, canals and waterways that connect Mirow to the Havel and Müritz, and saw just why people love this part of Germany. In the short time that we were there we visited quite a few of the small towns in the local area, including Waren, Müritz, Röbel and Neustrelitz.
Driving around the lakes and through the forests gave us a fantastic taste of German nature at its best. Alas, no hiking trips or time to really explore the area, but definitely a deep appreciation for a return visit.