Die schöne Ostsee, i.e. the Baltic Sea in North Germany
Some basic information about the Baltic Sea: "a brackish mediterranean sea located between Central and Northern Europe (Brackish/briny water is water that has more salinity than fresh water, but not as much as seawater). The Baltic Sea is bounded by the Scandinavian Peninsula, the mainland of Europe and the Danish islands; and connected by man-made waterways to the White Sea (via the White Sea Canal) and to the North Sea (via the Kiel Canal). It might be bordered by the Gulf of Bothnia, Gulf of Finland and Gulf of Riga. On long-term average, it is ice-covered at the annual maximum for 45% of its surface area." [source: wikipedia].
The Baltic Sea is one of the fascinating areas in the world – with a rich history and beautiful nature!
Me and the swans
The below are some photos from last year 2011, when I visited the Baltic Sea the first time. It was lucky that the weather was not gloomy and rainy all the time but there was sometimes sun-shine instead:
I was amused by a number of swans at the Baltic Sea, some of them look even bigger than myself, well, they might think what a small girl I am then:
Last year, I had got more time walking around with Petra and the grandparent as I only accompanied Dustin without attending the conference. This year, as a receiver of the BuFAS prize, I had got also a privilege of a full participation into the conference for two and a half days. Dustin's father and himself also attended the conference. Generally, there were presentations according to several topics following a main theme which was carried out fully in German; the main theme this year was protection of building against moisture damages. I had enjoyed the conference, even though I must admit it was still not easy to understand well the language on a scientific level. On the second day of the conference, I have been awarded the prize and made a presentation myself about the work in my Master's thesis.
This year, generally we had got less time of our own. Nevertheless, we found some pleasant time during the breaks of the conference to walk to the beach. I was happy that on the second day of the conference, it was sunny and warm. It was therefore very enjoyable on the beach:
On the morning of the second days, I got up quite early at 6 a.m. and walked alone to the beach. I could not sleep so well due to some noise during the night in the apartment, and perhaps also because of a little nervousness before the awarding ceremony. It was still a bit dark, windy, cold and rainy, the sky was gloomy. That was actually the typical weather in November here. Nevertheless, it was still kind of nice to enjoy the early morning air at the sea and the houses lighting up in the dark:
After the conference ended on mid-Saturday, we walked again shortly to the beach before saying goodbye to the Baltic Sea and drove back to Berlin. I brought with myself some breads to feed the swans and learned that they could be quite attacking to get the food.
Another happy reason for this trip beside the BuFAS prize was that I have obtained the German driving licence just few days ago. It was quite stressful for me with the pratising driving hours as well as the practical exam, which is known as rather strict compared to the driving licence exams in other countries. Therefore, I was very pleased that I passed the exam already on the first try, even though I realise that I am not a perfect driver. Anyway, being happy having the driving licence just before this trip, I was making use much of it by driving half of the way to Heringsdorf and full way back to Berlin.
Heringsdorf 1st & 2nd visit, 11.2011 & 01-03.11.2012.
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