autumn 2012 - 4-Seasons.de

58 Travel Travel 59
Heart-warming atmosphere after a chilly night. The region’s typical means of transportation: the canoe. Getting around by bicycle is just another way.
Hoffmanns’ Müritz Triathlon by Canoe, Bicycle and on Foot
Area: One of the biggest nature reservations
is right in the middle of the
Mecklenburg Lake District: the Müritz
National Park. There are special park
rules (mueritz-nationalpark.de). We
chose a weekend in October, our
favourite season!
Hiking: Not a classic hiking area but
several wonderful paths. Our hiking
tour leads from Kratzeburg to Granzin
along the south bank of the Käbelick
Lake. Further tips: Autumn tour
through the Serrahner Buchenwald.
It is one of the rare original forests in
Europe. Unesco World Heritage.
Paddling: Our tour went from the
young Havel to Granzin to the Jäthensee
and back. Many canoe rental
stations in that area. Beginners
should get safety advice. Round trip
possible, some canoe stations offer a
pick-up service for paddler and boat.
Cycling: Start in Granzin and go
straight across the National Park to
Boeker Mühle, passing the towns of
Rechlin and Vipperow along the Müritz
bank going all the way to Ludorf.
Next stage: along the west bank to
Waren and further on through the
forest of the National Park to Granzin.
The street lined with chestnut and
oak trees is a dream! Many towns
offer accommodation especially for
cyclists (bettundbike.de).
Getting There: By train to Waren
an der Müritz or Neustrelitz, then to
Kolpinsee
Malchow
Gotthun
Röbel
Wanderung
Kanutour
Radtour
Waren
Speck
Müritz
Boek
Granzin
Krienke
Kratzeburg
Kabelicksee
Rechlin
Vietzen
Mirow Wesenberg
Kratzeburg. Travellers by train receive
an environmental discount at some
service stations like canoe rental
shops. By car it takes two hours from
Berlin, two and a half hours from
Find the tour in all details on 4-Seasons.de/Mecklenburg.
Neubrandenburg
Penzlin
Hamburg.
Bicycle, Canoe,
Thousands of
Tips: Andreas
Landau from Kor-
Neustrelitz
moranKanutouring, Granzin 38,
17237 Kratzeburg-
Lychen Granzin, phone
+49 3 98 22/298
88, kormorankanutouring.de.
Sleep, Eat and
Relax: Romantikhotel Gutshaus
Ludorf, Rondell 7, 17207 Ludorf/
Müritz, phone +49 3 99 31/84 00,
gutshaus-ludorf.de.
never a more fulfilling time than during the autumn. Of course,
the water might be warmer during summer, the weather milder
and the days longer. But not until the majority of tourists have
left, the first campgrounds have been closed, and the fog blurs
each morning, does the landscape begin to claim back its relaxed
atmosphere. We want to start relaxed too. So, light packing is
better packing: sleeping bag, sleeping mat, tarp, camping stove,
kettle, some food and spare clothes and binoculars around the
neck – we don’t need much more for the next few days. Lightfooted
we hike eight kilometres to the next town accompanied by
a whispering wind.
We have arranged to meet Andreas Landau right next to the Havel.
Later on, the river will run through Berlin and into the Elbe. Andreas’
relaxed nature fits perfectly to this spot of land. He was one of
the first to open a canoe and bicycle rental service in the Mecklenburg
Lake District region, focusing on nature-friendly tourism. He
only hires out a certain amount of canoes to prevent over canoeing
and too much noise during high season. It should not get too busy
and the sensitive lakeside should not be damaged. Not today. We
are the only guests at the rental station.
So we get into our boats, following the Havel to the south. The
small waters connect each lake like a long pearl line. The pearls
are edged by large belts of reeds. Behind that, meadows and forests
sprawl out, the landscape is vast. The clouds have left with
the summer tourists, a clear blue sky spans above us. We are get-
ting there. The surface of the water feels untouched – a fascinating
illusion. When I look back I can see how the waves we just
created curl up and then disappear. I like the thought not leaving
anything behind, not even a trace, nothing. We just let ourselves
drift. In the middle of the Zotzensee we try to keep still like a
heron. The heron wins masterfully. Like a statue, he only watches
out for his lunch passing by.
Watching the birth of a new day while leaning back in a canoe.
We do not catch our dinner out of the water but from our lunch
boxes. Our accommodation is simple and easy: On a water-hiking
resting area we set up our tarp and unroll our sleeping mats on the
ground. When I wake up in the middle of the night I look straight
up to a sparkling sky full of stars. I love the unpopulated area for
its darkness. It got a bit cold and tomorrow there will be thick fog
over the Granziner Lake. The first rays of dawn will get tangled in it
and everything will be in a golden light. This scenery is not a premiere
for me, but each time I find it deeply moving.
The ice age was a fascinating time period. At least when looking
back at it. 15,000 years ago, the moving glaciers did not only create
hundreds of lakes but also an evenly chopped landscape, just
made for relaxed bicycle tours. After a sunrise tour with our canoes
and a large breakfast, we exchange a canoe for bicycles and
leave most of our luggage with Andreas. Already in the after- >