Today was a really long drive from Rügen Island to Hamburg. We needed a break, so we took a quick diversion into Lübeck. It’s an ancient port town as it has good access to the sea via the Trave River. The old town of Lübeck is enclosed by the river on both sides. It has been a recognised city for about 800 years, so it has plenty of history. We just stopped by to stretch our legs for an hour.
The city has lots of red brick architecture, including a huge brick cathedral. There’s a local folktale that when the cathedral was being built, the devil got angry and threatened to tear it down. So the locals told the devil they were building a wine bar and the cathedral was finished in record time. When the devil realised it was a church, he got angry and picked up a boulder and threatened to smash it all down. But the locals talked him down by building a wine bar nearby. Near the cathedral is a large boulder with marks on it that are said to be from the devil’s claws.
Onwards to Hamburg…