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A CASTLE TO REMEMBER
September 20–24, 2026
Germany has thousands of castles. A small few stand out as the “cream of the crop,” and Schwerin Castle is easily one of them! Schwerin is in eastern Germany, in the northern part of the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, located not far from the Baltic Sea. Filled with Renaissance-style architecture, the small city is clean and stately—a proper German city.
Schwerin Castle is both fairy-tale-like and elegant, with tall, pointy turrets and a marvelous black-and-gold dome atop a tall tower in the center. During the day, the dome shines, and at night, it gleams in the lights. The castle sits on an island in a large inland lake surrounded by beautiful gardens. Flower displays, statuary, meticulously straight rows of trees, and water features are interspersed with rolling lawns and vine-covered arched walkways.
Only a few of the elegant interiors remain in the castle, as most were destroyed by bombing during World War II. One marvelous element that escaped the bombing was the Lutheran Chapel, the first purpose-built Protestant structure after the Reformation. The castle was totally restored; however, most of the building is now used for the state legislature and government offices.
Randy, Melissa, Tom, Nancy, Kathy, and I took a boat cruise around the lake. We enjoyed the fresh, slightly cool air and saw thatched-roof buildings, vacation cottages, elegant houses, and, of course, the majestic castle.
Our day trips took us to Wismar and Rostock. Both are on the Baltic Sea, and both had prosperous pasts. The buildings have both a Scandinavian and Dutch vibe. Cobblestone streets meander through market squares and alongside huge red-brick Lutheran churches. We marveled at the very high ceilings, decoratively painted.
Of the three main Lutheran churches in Wismar, only St. Nikolai was not destroyed during World War II. It is a beautiful red-brick Gothic structure whose height pulls one’s eyes upward. The Baroque altar contains a Rubens painting of Christ’s descent from the cross. The imposing bronze baptismal font is also striking.
The other two large churches are ruins—one with a massive tower still standing and the other with its walls and ceiling stabilized, but its interior gutted. Melancholy, to say the least.
Rostock’s churches tell the same story—three main churches, two of them heavily damaged or destroyed. The still-standing St. Mary’s Church is massive, with a huge 89-foot-tall pipe organ housed in an impressively carved case. The astronomical clock is also a standout feature. Built in 1472, it still runs on its original mechanical workings. The main wood-carved altar is 79 feet tall, with white statues and gold accents. Beautiful!
Food, glorious food, from the Baltic! Kathy is in heaven! She loves herring, and it comes in many forms. One particular dish is called Labskaus—a sailor’s food. It is made with smoked herring and pickled beef, along with beets, mashed potatoes, and gherkins, all topped with an over-easy egg. These are all favorite foods of hers, and here they are, all on one plate! All of us have enjoyed various fried fish and other delights.
We all agreed that Schwerin and the surrounding area is a wonderful way to start our East and North German adventure, and God blessed us with delightful weather.
WEG
Copenhagen, the Comfortable Upscale
Frederik’s Church, (The Marble Church), a congregation of the Danish State Church – Lutheran
I noticed the lights as soon as we left the Copenhagen airport–suspended canisters hanging above the center of the roads everywhere our taxi drove–no lampposts. The clean appearance mirrored the cleanliness of the city. Our Marriott was situated on an island connected with walk bridges to an area of restaurants and shopping. We were tired from a long day of traveling and were thankful for a comfortable bed. As I dozed, I dreamed of the air flight into the city from Frankfurt, Germany. As we flew over Denmark, I noticed the many islands of this far north archipelago–green forested islands and beautiful plowed fields, each farmstead ringed with trees marking the owner’s land. Fall is in the air and temperatures are in the 70’s daytime. I noticed some yellow in the trees, and we saw vines turning magenta.
Today, a Sunday, was a wonderful day. We ventured into the central city and toured Rosenborg Castle with its beautiful turrets reaching high into the sky, home of Danish Royalty over the centuries, and now a state museum. Filled with tapestries and painted flooring, the castle sits in a grand park and botanical garden. The Great Hall features large silver lions in front of the royal thrones, and the basement contains the royal jewels, ceremonial garb and crowns of the monarchy. Rather dazzling! We walked the short distance from the Rosenborg to the Amalienborg Palace, home of today’s royal family of King Frederik X. The palace consists of four nearly identical Scandinavian Renaissance buildings surrounding an octagonal plaza with an equestrian statue of King Frederik IV in the center. Fur-capped soldiers stood at attention around the plaza, and the state flags flew indicating the monarch was in residence. It is obvious that Copenhagen is upscale in a very comfortable and livable way. Parks abound, and well laid-out bike lanes are filled with folks out to enjoy the area. We laughed when we saw a young couple–woman biking and man in a large basket in the front (just the way it should be–a male chauvinist might say). I will look for one when we return home–Kathy insists! Sea air and breezes grace the lanes of handsome Danish-designed modern buildings amidst old Scandinavian Renaissance architecture. We enjoyed walking and understood why the people of Denmark are consistently rated the happiest people on earth.
Hungry, we found a Cambodian restaurant–our first Cambodian meal ever–in Denmark! I enjoyed my beef and rice noodle soup, even through the peppers were HOT! Kathy ate some puréed tuna with chili seasoning and rice chips. Tasty. We came back to the hotel, to chill and, God willing, have a great night’s sleep. Tomorrow, we leave for Goteborg (Gothenburg), Sweden’s second largest city. Oops, I forgot…after we landed in Copenhagen on Saturday, Kathy made a beeline for Danish pickled herring. She has some Danish heritage and loves everything Danish, food wise. She ATE IT ALL (even slapped my hand when I reached for some) with dark bread and Danish butter–need I say more?
An Addendum–While Kathy edited our photos from today, I went for a walk outside our hotel. I’ll take her after we post this blog. The stylish apartments along the waterway have balconies with live plantings overlooking the sea and the islands beyond. A boardwalk is strewn with people sunbathing and visiting. Awesome boats ply the canals and ocean beyond. In the near distance are striking buildings and I see a raised electric metro train moving toward the central city. “Beautiful people” are swimming in the sea in areas marked off by floating pontoons while others dine in outdoor cafes. I noticed that none of the bikes in the bike parking areas had chains and padlocks! Yes, very upscale in a very livable way!
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