Bad Segeberg - Lubeck: We reach Lubeck and stay a while
We were both still feeling tired when we woke up in the morning but we were in better shape than the day before and we didn't have many kilometers to Lübeck where we intended to spend a day or two. The way to Lübeck was simple since much of the time there was a bike lane next to the road leading into the city and there was also an autobahn running parallel which absorbed most of the traffic. The landscape here was a bit hillier than yesterday and very pretty.
As we approached Lübeck from the west, the first view we had of the old city was the well-known brick Holsten Gate ("Holstentor"), and we had the exultant feeling "made it to Lübeck".
The two round towers and arched entrance of the Holsten Gate are so well known it is regarded today as a symbol of the city. It is a familiar site to many because until 1995 an engraving of the Holsten Gate adorned the back of the 50 DM note. It also appears on the German two-euro coin issued in 2006.
The tourist office at the entrance to the old part of town found a very nice room for us at the centrally located Hotel am Dom for 75 € including breakfast. We hadn't expected to find anything cheaper and the location was excellent.
In spite of some ugly post-war buildings and gaping constructions sites, Lübeck is for me a beautiful city. Still, I spent the greater part of our first day there sleeping and reconvalescing from whatever the bug was that I had. The following day we were both back on our feet and eager to explore. There was much to see and many photo opportunities.
Much of the medieval city was severely destroyed during the war and the many of the newer buildings are all the more unsightly in contrast with the beautiful brick Gothic architecture typical of historic Lübeck.
The old part of the town is an island enclosed by the Trave and is dominated by seven church steeples (not all visible here).
Partial view of the Burgtor, built 1444 in late Gothic style, the northern city gate of Hanseatic Lübeck. That and the Holsten Gate are the only two towered gates remaining from the medieval fortifications.
