2023 July: What a successful month except for one small problem…

We lost the keys to the boat and bikes! This was a serious problem and only solved through the kindness of others. Let’s bring you up to date, shall we?

This has been a rather successful month for all of us. Thank goodness! I won’t bore you with many harbor stops; we only stayed a night at each location. We were on a mission. My niece, Oceanna, her husband, Chris, and their two teenagers, Levi and Autumn, were coming to Berlin to join us for four days on a cruise around Potsdam (That’s Chris receiving his Bimini Badge as Captain of Virus). 

The last post ended with our night stays in Hitdorf Marina on the Rhein near Leverkusen.

The path to Berlin is often boring but lots of nature! Finally, off the Rhein at Duisburg into the Rhein-Herne Canal, then Dortmund-Ems Canal.

Plus, poppies all over and spring flowers.

And, of course, old locks.

The houseboats were incredible. Some had two bedrooms and a patio on top!

It was definitely a slow-going trip. As I said in an earlier report, we only go 10 km per hour. Even the bikes were faster than us. Click here to check it out! And rowers past us even faster!

In Münster, we took a quick tour of a cool little harbor lined with restaurants. A great place to stay the night, but as I said, we were on a mission! It was here that we turned off the Mittelland Canal the Elbe-Havel Kanal.

We spent the evening in a family-friendly harbor with a swimming pool, ferris wheel, and camping. The large building across from our boat was filled with USA food stands, MacDonalds, and even a Hoosier’s.

The next day was long and boring. We had to take special care to pass under the low bridges even with our mast down. Thank you, Dagmar, for some of the pictures you took of our travels.

We arrived safely at our next harbor near Hannover in Greven, Altstrecke Fuestrup. This was a really cute place to stay! This picture mural is exactly how it looked. Plus, that boat on the left looks like ours!

We land on the left, where the boats are in the mural. The cool thing about getting to the restaurant and the harbor master was managing the little ferry across!

The next morning we were off the Marina Recke, a six-hour drive. Before arriving at the Marina, we had a great pit stop for groceries. The Aldi was right next to the dock. Perfect! It was a nice break for Honey, Dagmar, and Peters’s adorable dog.

Our next night was spent in a small harbor in Lubbecke Marina, and we got the last two spots! Honey was exceptionally happy for a place to do her business.

Off we went the next morning to head to Berlin on the Mittleland Canal. It amazes me how the canals are built over roads or other canals below. It seems like a huge bathtub floating over cars and other boaters.

I said this trip was successful for us all, especially for Peter and Dagmar. Every harbor that had a pooper dump station they were first in line with Black Pearl. Still, no success. We landed near Hannover at Tannenbergallee and once again, with the professionals, no luck.

However, Dagmar and Peter had friends that met us there and took them to a sporting goods store. Dagmar received her birthday gift early, a camping toilet. She preferred not to model it for you. Off we go to Berlin in hopes we find the right boat machanic to solve the problem.

We decided to leave a day early while Peter and Dagmar stayed another day to visit their friends and hoped for a mechanic. We headed out to Stichkanal Salzgitter harbor on the Mittleland Canal. This place was incredible. We had to call in advance so they could open the bridge and let us in. 

The homes surrounding this harbor were over five million, I’m sure. It was pretty sheeky-meeky.

We met up with Damar and Peter the next morning. The next stop was VW Autostadt in Wolfsburg. We hooked up right across the street. This place is really cool and a great stop with kids. They have a museum for children and a playground. Enlarge the picture and check out the slide!

Next stop, Sportboothafen Haldensleben. Once again, we joined in to assist Peter in emptying his pooper. No luck…

But a nice little harbor and a very kind harbor master. And by the way, I parked Virus in this tight spot! Even Lutz, the Admiral, Peter and Dagmar, and the Harbor Master said it was incredible.

On our way to our next harbor, the only exciting thing was entering the tallest lock we’d done so far. It was eighteen meters high.

The rest of the way was still the same…so I read.

After leaving Kehl on May 20, 2023, driving 10 Km per hour, stopping every night at a new harbor and often boring scenery, we entered what I had been dreaming about since we left, a lake or a See, as the Germans call them. The first “See” we entered in the Berlin area, The Plauer See.

Now the ride became very interesting as we headed to Potsdam. 

The large lakes are narrowing into small canals with little cities and restaurants. It was a great spot on the boat for a tour of people-watching.

We landed at Stadtmarina Brandenburg and took off on our bikes to explore the gardens. And another $1000 gas bill!

Of course, Lutz chose an uphill route! Riding a bike was worthless. We had to walk them up. But the ride down was nice. The local church was right in the center of this little area above our harbor!

The ride down was through the town’s Rose Garden. Just spectacular.

And cruise the neighborhood along the canal.

Our reward was a nice beverage of choice from a cafe near the local bridge in town!

The next morning we entered Potsdam! 

We had the best harbor in the area. Peter did his homework, and to his credit, the boat mechanic also did his homework. The pooper got fixed. Apparently, the rubber seal was sucked back into the poo box, and this guy nailed it! YEEHAW. Dagmar still has her toilet, though, just in case.

We had a few days to check out Potsdam, and I loved it. It even has its own Brandenburg Tower.

The downtown is small enough that you can see it in a day. I love the walking area with shops and cafes.

I loved the Dutch street. This was filled with special cafes, little streets, and side allies filled with history, dutch foods, and unique gifts.

We even scouted out Fredrick The Greats Castle Sanssouci and its gardens. Amazing…

He built separate gathering places, a Chinese house…

An Roman bathhouse and if that wasn’t enough,

He had to build a new castle called the New Castle.

We had a great visit from Marianne and Rudi from Wolfach, who was in the area enjoying their boat cottage on the lakes.

We also got to meet Alena, Dagmar’s daughter. She is a judge in family law in Berlin. Such a wonderful soul!

Alena’s partner, Yu, came the next morning, and we had a chance to take a short cruise on the boats to Charlottenburg in the Berlin area and see the Charlottenburg castle from the outside, in the rain.

Finally, the day arrived. The Gage family is on board!

We had so much fun catching up with the Gage family. Dinner with Dagmar and Peter was great. The next morning we took off to anchor in a lake nearby. So happy that someone else was driving so I could enjoy the sun and chat.

The air was warm, but the water was a little chilly. That didn’t stop Levi and Autumn or Chris!

The day’s highlight was a traditional German dinner of bratwurst, sauerkraut, and  German potato salad!

We topped their short visit off with a tour of Potsdam and an inside tour of the Sanssouci Castle. Amazing.

We were sad to see them go and had to hurry to the train to make sure they made it back to Berlin. It’s always great to have our friends and family visit with us!

As we returned to the boat Alena and her partner “Yu” were preparing to leave Dagmar and Peter after hanging out for the weekend. We nabbed a picture of the family. I enjoyed visiting with “You” and learning about her movie mask-making profession. She did the ones in Matixs!

As we went to enter the boat, Lutz turned and freaked out. “Where are the boat and bike keys?” Heck, if I know. I’m not allowed to touch them to start the motor. We’d been in Potsdam all day with the Gages and even rode the bikes back but never had to and used the lock and key. So back, Lutz went on the bikes in the heat and was determined to find them. Just like an Admiral, he refused to give up. I received this picture after an hour of him searching and trying to erase the disbelief in my mind of him ever finding them!

It said: KEYS found! Please go to the bookstore. They are holding them. Crazy right? I am in shock and totally grateful for the universe and the kind people who listen to the universe. If I found keys like this, I would suspect some lifeguard could not start their boat and was surely feeling down.

Dagmar and Peters’s next guests, Heins and Ingred, arrived that evening. We were planning a cool trip on an old canal through Berlin together for the following day. But first, Lutz and I decided to take off, spend a night in a lake, and enjoy nature.

The next morning we hooked up with Dagmar, Peter, and their guest, Heinz, and Ingrid. We ended up in Charlottenburg, near where Alena works. She dropped by on her way home from the office to visit us all.

We quickly made a second walk around the Charlottenburg Castle before the rain descended.

Then it was off again. Peter and Dagmar headed out with their friends to visit a new area while Lutz and I had to find electricity to recharge the batteries for a night. The Berlin City Marina was closer and was the most expensive, 60 euro a night—a lot of money to charge the batteries but necessary for our next excursion.

It took us twenty days, or 100 engine hours, to reach Potsdam and enter the center of Berlin. We’ve seen so much in this time, and much more to see and do in the next four weeks. Please check back next month for more adventures in Berlin. Thanks for joining me on our voyage!

Fave Recipe: Buffalo Cheese Sauce & Chicken Asparagus Pasta

This was so delicious and easy to make on board the boat. Vegan and Vegetarian options make it a delightful meal for everyone at your dinner table! Click here to read more.

Fave Resource: Does a Normal TSH Score Mean My Thyroid Is Healthy?

Most doctors refer to an old-fashioned diagnosis format. Often they will only test 3-4 scores to determine whether your thyroid is healthy. This article reveals some reasons you might want to…click here to check this out.