This meeting was also full of highlights and surprises. The club board brought the area and the life of the Holsteins a little closer with a unique program. Schleswig-Holstein offers great smokehouses, cultural sites, manor houses and much more.
The experience already began with the journey to the Hotel Meereszeiten in Heiligenhafen. Beautifully situated in the harbour area - a great starting point for the beetle exits. There is a special atmosphere in the air.
360° on the water: Enjoy the location between fishing port, 5* marina, Baltic Sea, and city centre.
The Hafenhotel-Meereszeiten 4* in Heiligenhafen, which was selected as a conference hotel, is regarded with good reason as a hotel with beautiful views and short distances. The south side borders on the old, atmospheric fishing port.
On the other side of the hotel, just a few steps away, the modern flair of the marina. A little further on is the large lake, the adventure bridge, and the Baltic Sea with its fine sandy beach. Within walking distance is the historic city center - for discovering, shopping, and enjoying. 360° on the water means that every room has a view of the water, whether it's the old harbour, the marina, or the Baltic Sea. For our beetles we reserved a large parking lot in front of the hotel.
Friday, 2 June 2017, first day
Holstein Switzerland (approx. 140 km), Malente – Lake Keller – Uwe Seeler Football Park – Sierhagen Manor.
At 08:30 am: Special permission to drive with our beetles to the historical marketplace of Heiligenhafen. Mayor Müller did not want to miss the spectacle himself! Continuation in convoy to Malente. In the premises of the slaughterhouse and ham smokehouse Petersen (Anno 1788) we were warmly welcomed; a short film and the explanations of Mrs. May showed, how the ham is still produced there after custom and prescription. There are only a few such smokehouses left in Schleswig-Holstein. We were served there both the special Holstein ham and the homemade Mettwurst for tasting. Delicacies that you can only find a few in a family-run traditional house. As a surprise, each participant received an original Petersen Mettwurst, packed in a beetle design.
Continue to Eutin-Sielbeck to Lake Keller - Uklei ferry house directly on the Lake Keller. With the sunny weather on the terrace, the participants felt the atmosphere of the lake in Holstein Switzerland over a drink. A wonderful view of Lake Keller.
12:45 p.m. Continue to the Uwe Seeler Football Park in Malente. The beetles are placed in front of the entrance (special permit). We were welcomed by the management. The Uwe Seeler Park has written football history. In 1974 the national soccer coach Helmut Schön trained the soccer players who won the World Cup. The DFB team had previously met for a legendary discussion at the team hotel in Malente the following night after the historic defeat against the selection of the GDR in the preliminary round. In the "Night of Malente", according to Franz Beckenbauer, "a quarrelled bunch became a unit", which finally became world champion through the symbolic "Spirit of Malente". There was a "historical tour" through the building with the former footballers' rooms and the coach's room, where the spirit of Malente was "conjured up".
The room is still furnished with furniture from the past. After the delicious lunch we went to the gym. How else could it have been expected, sporting challenges were in demand: e.g., shooting at the goal wall or measuring the speed, i.e., the strength of a football kick.
Around 14:30 o'clock the convoy started to move towards Sierhagen Manor. On the way there it went through rustic country to Plunkau. There Heino stood with a warning vest and his motorcycle and blocked off the narrow road "Baumkrug" for the Beetle convoy before the beetles got free access to Sierhagen Manor! It was a special highlight to drive into Sierhagen Manor with the beetles. One wonders on which paths the participants moved with their beetles – well, history live. In the barn "Alter Pferdestall" a delicious cake buffet was set up.
The beetle drivers enjoyed the special atmosphere while drinking coffee, either in the barn, or in the inner courtyard, or even under the trees on the green island in the centre of the estate.
Welcome to Sierhagen Manor
We are delighted that you have discovered our estate in the heart of Holstein Switzerland! It is one of the largest aristocratic estates in East Holstein, a property with a long tradition of which we are confident, it has a foresight into the future. Today we run a modern, successful estate and live and work here with pleasure. Look around and enjoy the atmosphere - with consideration for the people who live and work here.
Now the "piggish surprise" was pending. At the entrance was written with love: Beetle drivers welcome! The beetle caravan moved to the large mown field on Heino's property. There Heino handed out "Fred Ferkel" and "Glückssteine" to every guest before he lured out his domestic pigs - one of special size.
The dinner "ITALIAN" at the Hotel Meereszeiten-Heiligenhafen was excellent; the club president gave information about the next day. On the hotel terrace with a view of the harbour we let the eventful day come to an end.
Saturday, 3 June 2017, second day
Lübeck and Niendorf (approx. 150 km), Holsten Gate – harbour tour – old town Lübeck – Niendorf.
Around 08:30 o'clock: Drive in convoy over the motorway A1 to Lübeck to the parking lot Music and Congress Hall (MUK), where Heino has blocked the parking lot for us. The trip had gone quickly, so that there was still time to take a group photo at the world-famous Holsten Gate, before the one-hour city, canal and harbour tour started at 10:15 o'clock. The MS-Holstentor of the Quandt line had been chartered by the club board.
Our classic – Lübeck from its most beautiful side. During the hour-long scheduled trip near the riverbank, you will experience the Queen of the Hanseatic League from a completely different perspective – just like the sailors and merchants who sailed around the city with their cogs 800 years ago.
Interesting anecdotes about history, culture, architecture, and the changing times can be found in the expert explanations of the captain...
Afterwards free time to have a look at the historical city center of Lübeck. At 12:30 p.m. the lunch in the restaurant "Schiffergesellschaft" in the historical hall was kept secret with a Nordic specialty until it was served: "sour meat in a jar with fried potatoes"; what was that well received! The building dates to 1512 and had never been destroyed.
The Schiffergesellschaft is a modern restaurant with an old tradition in a unique ambience. Our menu presents classic North German favourites, but also unique and original talents of our chef. We prefer to use fresh, high-quality, and hand-picked ingredients that are seasonal, local, and sustainable. We want to present every dish to you in a way that seduces your senses and satisfies the palate. Because the experience of dining in the Schiffergesellschaft should remain in your memory for a long time.
14:00 o'clock: Now the joint trip to Niendorf was on the agenda. On the way we passed the Herren Tunnel! The track "1" was closed for the beetle convoy until arrival! After payment of the toll for all vehicles the barrier was opened and the journey continued to Niendorf to the parking lot "Hafen-Vogelpark", where Heino had locked out for the beetles again.
From the parking lot it is only a short way to the beach promenade and the old harbour. It was worthwhile to stay here before the participants met for coffee/tea and cake at the beach promenade in the café "Mein Strandhaus" Friedrichsruh round about 4 pm.
Afterwards there was time off to go for a walk at the beach or on the promenade of Niendorf, to go to the pier or to lay down in a beach chair.
The return journey to Heiligenhafen led individually or in smaller beetle groups through the beautiful landscape. In the Hotel Meereszeiten-Heiligenhafen there was a "GRILL" buffet evening on the menu - on the terrace there were barbecues with a lot of delicious choices. The club president reviewed the eventful day and informed the participants about the coming day and continued the K-UE club programme.
Sunday, 4 June 2017, third day
Heiligenhafen and Fehmarn (approx. 55 km)
Sea bridge and NSG-Graswarder; Fehmarnsund bridge; castle. This day began with some rain, which did not stop the beetle drivers, to take a walk at 09:00 o'clock past the marina to the sea and experience bridge Heiligenhafen.
Then we walked to the nature reserve Graswarder. Mr. Klaus Dürkop, NABU nature reserve advisor and two colleagues told the participants about this spit with its wildlife, breeding birds, resting birds and migratory birds. In guided tours and a movie with the unique diversity of nature was brought closer. Especially impressive was the walk on the meadows and the observation tower.
The rain stopped and so all beetles started around 13:00 o'clock to cross the Fehmarnsund bridge from Heiligenhafen. To film all the beetles on the bridge by drone without a foreign vehicle, all the beetles had to be positioned beforehand. This succeeded smoothly and was filmed by Höhenflug-Pictures! In addition, a photo team was on the bridge to capture every beetle in the picture on the Fehmarnsund Bridge.
The convoy went to the ferry port Puttgarden to get from there a good entrance to Burg a.F. to the marketplace and the sun shined as ordered. A special permit had been issued by the Head of the Public Order Office Fehmarn to park the beetles on the historical market square of Burg a.F.. Crowds came to see the beetles. For lunch there were the tastiest fish rolls of the island at "FF Grell`s Fehmarn Fischbrötchen" Burg a.F. With the K-UE-value voucher every club member could choose two fish rolls. The shrimp rolls tasted particularly good. Afterwards there was time for a ramble through the old town of Burg a.F. At 16:00 o'clock another highlight was waiting. For the exit from the market place the leader of the public order office had taken out the barrier posts and our club president dressed in warning vest and radio stopped the traffic, so that all beetles could drive in convoy from the market place, which lasted approx. 10 minutes.
Via Burgstaaken the beetle convoy went directly to the shore of the Baltic Sea and from there it went for historical pictures with the Fehmarnsund bridge to the village of Fehmarnsund. All beetles were photographed together and individually by the photo team beautiful sunny weather. Great unique photos were taken. With a delicious dinner "asparagus" buffet in the Hotel Meereszeiten Heiligenhafen a great beetle meeting of the VW Käfer-Club Última Edición e.V. ended. The president gave a short overview of the experience, Annette and Mathias gave a musical background. With the handing over of the participant certificates our club president ended the Beetle meeting.
