Cruise Stories
Authentic Stories from the Baltic Sea
On the following pages, we present several travel accounts by travel journalist and passionate sailor Dr. Peer Schmidt-Walther from Stralsund. He knows the waters of the Baltic Sea and the islands around it like the back of his hand, and has also travelled almost all the world’s oceans. As varied as cruises and their destinations are the very personal impressions these voyages leave behind. At the same time, these stories convey the incomparable atmosphere of a cruise, combining romantic maritime adventure with the diverse cultures cruise passengers encounter on shore excursions.
Flusskreuzfahrtschiff 'Classic Lady'
Photo: © Peer Schmidt-Walther
From Sailing Ship to Icebreaker
Our author has travelled as a passenger aboard various types of ships. He joined a river cruise ship on its journey from Berlin via the Oder–Havel Canal and the Oder, past Pomerania’s metropolis, Szczecin, to the Baltic Sea’s coastal waters near Stralsund.
Aboard the “Meander”, he discovers the rare combination of sailing and cycling around Rügen—an experience that is only possible in coastal waters.
A journey aboard a river cruise ship on the “Amazon of the North”, the Peene, is particularly appealing. With its very gentle gradient, this river links the Mecklenburg Lake District to the Baltic Sea through Central Europe’s last unspoilt river valley.
With two imposing three-masted ships, the author introduces us to sailing trips on the Baltic Sea. The Chersones and the Kruzenshtern evoke the seafaring romance of centuries past.
A trip aboard the Finnish icebreaker Sampo in the northern Baltic Sea, near the Arctic Circle, shows that an adventure holiday on the Baltic is not limited to summer.
Finally, Peer Schmidt-Walther takes us along on a voyage through the Kiel Canal, the world’s busiest artificial waterway.
On this page, we want to give passionate cruise-goers the opportunity to share their experiences publicly. Send your stories to news@ostsee-netz.de.
