Early Friday night. We talked a little about how we wanted to spend the weekend. We could do with a little change of pace. As we often do, we searched on my favorite website “Google Maps” to find inspiration for our next adventure. We soon discovered that Lübeck might be interesting, and only a 4 or 5-hour drive from us.
THE DRIVE
We packed our bags and got the car ready already Friday night, so we would be ready to leave “bright and early” the following morning. The next morning, we took off, and as we neared the border, it dawned on us that we probably should have brought passports, not so much for the actual border, but in case we were pulled over. We-e-e-e-e-ell, we forgot. Fortunately, it wasn’t a huge problem, since it was just Germany. The trip down went well, and we drove into town after just over 5 hours of driving from Aarhus.
NO PLACE TO SPEND THE NIGHT
Once we got into town, we drove around for a while to find a place to spend the night. We weren’t really thinking it would be a big problem – but we were soon proven wrong. After walking into several hotels to hear about staying overnight, a friendly receptionist told us that they were having a wine festival in town. The wine festival started that afternoon, and everything in town was booked. Bummer – but that’s what can happen when you forget to check accommodations before leaving home. We parked the car down by the water where we had heard parking was easiest, and we walked up to check out the town.
CITY WITHOUT NOISE BUT WITH LOTS OF LIFE
From the “harbor”, where we had parked, it was just a short walk to downtown. We were soon struck by the incredible beauty of the town. Everywhere we looked, there were interesting old buildings and narrow, charming streets.
We walked up along the main drag, taking in the smells, the atmosphere, and the sounds of the city. This was where it hit me how quiet the town was. Lots of hustle and bustle in the streets, but in spite of that and the fact that the city has more than 210,000 inhabitants, there was a pleasant calm over everything. There was no car noise or other noisy elements – Only the lively hum of people in the streets.
BACK HOME
We were a little bummed about not being able to find accommodations in town. We had really looked forward to that. Therefore, we chose to take a detour on the way home, driving up along the coast toward Scharbeutz to see what that area might offer. At the same time, we were checking if there was a place where we might want to stay. Eventually, however, we wound up driving all the way back to Denmark that same night. It’s doable.
I’m a big fan of spontaneous adventures, and the trip to Lübeck was no exception. Next time, however, I will check if there are available accommodations.
3 GOOD TIPS
Remember passports!
Remember to check for available accommodations and book from home when you take a longer, spontaneous drive!
Seize spontaneity and live life!
