Nykøbing Falster, Denmark to Rostock, Germany

I didn't have a good night or god nat as they say in Danish. Maybe it was something I ate, but I was vomitting last night and this morning at the camp. No, I wasn't drinking even though the people at the front desk were having beer as they waited on people. It's very different to see that, but not that big of a deal really. I never saw a visibly drunk person in the streets of Denmark, even though they could walk and drink down the street. 

Anyways, I managed to pack up my stuff and get on my bike while ignoring nausea to get on the road while it wasn't raining. The campground was close to an Aldi, so I stopped there for some "orange sports drink," hoping that it had electrolytes. It seemed to help, and I took my time as a pedaled the last part of Denmark. 

I planned to stop in Rostock for the night instead of forging ahead anticipating that I might have to navigate some challenges with being in a new country. 

Gedser, Denmark is a charming little town that celebrated being the southern most port of Denmark and even Scandinavia. I was in the Miami of Scandinavia! 

The ticket from Gedser to Rostock was 50 DKK ($10) and the trip took about 1.5 hours. I didn't have to buy the ticket ahead of time. There were other bicycle tourists there and signs everywhere indicating that bicycles were welcome on the ship. 

 I don't have many pictures to show, but the port of Rostock was the opposite of everything I had experienced in Denmark. I pedaled off the ferry, and it looked like I had to pedal through a landing strip of an airport.

 It wasn't clear which way I was to go, and I didn't want to do anything too illegal so soon in the country. I was yelled at twice until someone let me through a back gate since where I was supposed to go was closed. Oops. Nobody wanted to see my passport. Rostock is very industrial with huge cranes that move ships and a nuclear power plant on the shore. People like cars, and bike lanes were here and there. Traffic seemed overwhelming compared to where I had been, even though it wasn't too bad. Denmark really insulated me from being with traffic, and the planning for bikes was so thoughtful. It was maybe a 15 kilometer trip to Rostock center. 

I pedaled around randomly until I found a coffee and pastry shop where I asked the energetic clerk questions. 

She was so nice to tolerate me and my English. She showed me where I could charge my cell and gave me directions to a grocery store where I later bought a SIMS card that didn't fit my phone. It should be mentioned that my cell wasn't working in Rostock because I had a Danish SIMS card--I discovered once I was in Germany that I had no service, which meant no maps, which meant I either needed to get a different SIMS card or ask others how to get the hotel. I showed the address to the woman at the shop, and she discussed it in German with another customer. It was on a small street that nobody seemed to know it immediately. She said, Hmm, how do I say in English?. I felt bad and decided to figure it out on my own. She was in a frenzy flitting around the shop, and I felt guilty making her pause for me since she was the only one there, and she closed in an hour. In Denmark, everybody spoke some scant English. Here in Germany, I haven't had that experience yet. I've had a lot of German people speak at me even after telling them that I don't speak German. The lady at the grocery store. The lady at the pharmacy. I went to a bike shop after riding around randomly some more to ask for directions and the guy there didn't speak English, although he patiently looked at the address on my piece of paper, got out his paper map, and gave me directions by pointing to the map and outside the door. He also pointed out a major landmark, Neuer Markt, which I used later in asking locals to get closer to the hostel. I asked an Algerian man who pointed me in the right direction--I saw him again and when I mentioned français when he said he didn't speak English, he said, Mangez-vous avec moi? I pretended not to understand. Another couple I asked about Neuer Markt could not even understand what I was saying. I repeated Neuer Markt with them 10 times before I left. NOY-er Marked. She did mention Rathaus, which I saw later and was helpful. At least I could provide entertainment for them. The pronunciation helped me along the way too. My script was in broken German. 

 Hello, I don't speak German. 

 Do you speak English? 

(Nein)

 Neuer Markt? (I point all around) 

(They point)

 Thanks!

 Neuer Markt was a long pedestrian mall with stores like T.K. Maxx. 

 There was a bookstore where I was able to find a map and a book for English-German phrases. The clerk there said yes to Sprechen sie deutsch. She and a customer laughed in a kind way when I said I needed an English-German book. From there, I was able to find the hostel with the map in hand. 

It's fairly comfortable, and I've decided to stay one more day in Rostock. I still need to get the SIMS card and figure out a good way to make it to Berlin. I also want to feel completely 100% before I start touring again. It actually looks like an interesting town in the city center, and I wouldn't mind exploring it a little more.