After a cold rainy Saturday this Sunday surprised us with bright sunshine and mild temperatures and we decided to take a car trip to Hochdonn.

Hochdonn itself is just a small village with nothing special to see, but it is situated directly  at the Nord-Ostseekanal,  We like to go there to look at ships and admire the railway bridge, that crosses the canal. at connects the Baltic Sea with the North Sea.

The  foundation stone of the Kiel canal was laid by Kaiser Wilhelm I on the 3^rd of June 1887 and 8 years later, on the 21rst of June 1895 it was opened. The canal is 98,26 km long and connects the North Sea at Brunsbüttel with the Baltic at Kiel. Ships save on average 250 miles by using the canal. It is the most heavily used artificial seaway in the world. Last year there were about 34.690 vessels sailing through the canal not counting pleasure boats and small yachts.

Today we were very lucky and could see more than 10 ships sailing past.

There are alltogether  of 10 bridges crossing the canal, and the 42 m high bridge at Hochdonn is only for trains. Cars and pedestrians use the ferry, which is considered part of the road and therefore doesn’t cost anything. My friend was impressed to notice that the ferry had a ground made of cement.

On both sides of the canal there are paths which are perfect for cycling or walking. You can go about 5, 5 km and then cross by using another ferry to make your way back on the other side of the canal.

 On nice days like today many people stop at the ferry place to sit in the sun, watch the ships and have an ice cream There is a kiosk selling sweets, snacks and drinks. As you can see on the photo, they also carry a wide selection of Schnaps, sold in small bottles to hide in your pockets.  That’s because it also serves as the only pub for locals.