We're trying to keep the kids on English time as many museums and attractions don't seem to open until 10am and that way they can stay up later. This means we have a relaxed start to the day as well and aren't rushing about. In the night there had been a torrential storm which only I heard but we'd also left the vents open and clothes drying outside so now parts of the inside of the van were damp and the sun clothes and towels that were almost dry when they were put out were now soaking wet! Given we get free parking in many places we like to give back to the village by using the local shops and often that means a trip to the bakery for breakfast. Whilst I'm having a little tidy up the kids head out to bakery number 1.

We'd forgotten how many places in Germany still use cash and thankfully Al had taken some with him as the card machine was broken. The kids returned with a bread roll and a cinnamon swirl then wanted to try out bakery number 2 so we all went to stretch our legs and get something to go with our lunch. It's a 90 minute drive up to lubeck which is the major town near to the docks where we'll board the ferry to Finland this evening. Originally we'd planned a beach day but the weather was gray and it was expected to start raining again later. We decided we'd head to the outskirts, park up then mooch around the old town instead. We weren't sure how close to the old town we could park up and Al had found moho facilities in a shopping centre which also had regular buses to the old town so it worked out well. We needed supplies anyway for the ferry crossing so we started off with a trip to the shops. As luck would have it there was some sort of lego event being displayed in the shopping centre so we spent a good 30 mins looking at the various creations. The life sized formula one race car was particularly impressive! Next up we did a bit of regular food shopping, had our lunch and bakery treats then caught the bus into Lubeck.

By the time we arrived the rain had set in but we knew we were only here for the day and had to carry on regardless.

Back on our first big adventure we'd met a couple of ladies during a spectacular traffic jam in Kotor and swapped details, we met up with one of them in Hamberg for a coffee last year and they had always said if we were ever in Lubeck to let them know.

Unfortunately they were out of town but they had recommended a boat trip around the city. Our options were a covered tour boat however the commentary was going to be in German or we could hire our own electric boat for the same price. We decided the latter would be the more fun option although we couldn't have chosen a wetter time to take the boat out as we got completely drenched. Nonetheless it was an enjoyable ride although slightly disappointing as you can't actually see any of the old buildings from the water.

I'm not sure how one side of my back side had got completely soaked but it had, much to the kids amusement since it looked like I'd had some kind of toilet accident according to them. We wandered over to the cathedral and got to learn about it's ongoing restoration. It was completely destroyed during the war along with general wear and tear over 850 years. It costs 120k a year in general running costs without even starting on the repairs.

Next we had a wander up the high street visiting the town hall and managing to find ourselves a tourist shop for a van sticker.

There were 2 other famous churches in the town but unfortunately by the time we got to them they were closed.

We did stumble across a woolworths and C&A though which was like stepping back in time! The area was also very famous for it's marzipan so Al and the kids bought some to share. Turns out neither of the kids actually like it covered in chocolate and their only experience of it previously has been on a battenberg cake which is much sweeter.

It's a shame we didn't get to visit this hanseatic port on a sunny day but we still got a feel for the culture and even enjoyed spotting some of the graffiti art.

After a bit of trouble (no thanks to Google maps) we eventually caught a bus back to the shopping centre.

The kids got to see a piece of the Berlin wall, I'm sure they will learn a lot about it when we visit soon.

The plan had been to buy food and cook it in thy van before driving on to the docks but with just 1hr of opening time left the pizza shop in the food court was having a sale on so we decided pizza would be quicker and easier for us all.

It was just 20 minutes to the docks and although we didn't need to check in until midnight (the boat left at 2am), we decided we may as well head there early, get the kids to bed and they could sleep for a few hours before transferring them to our cabin. Even I managed a cheeky nap although that did mean when we got on to the boat just after midnight it took me ages to get back to sleep. The cabin is extremely basic and we had hoped for a least a kettle so we could make pot noodles for tea, they also didn't have any USB charging points.

Liliya had wanted the top bunk but we decided it was way too dangerous for either child as there was practically no barrier to stop them rolling off! The beauty of an inside cabin was that everyone just woke up when they were feeling rested rather than from the sunlight shining in. The eating facilities on board were very expensive and really basic so I'm glad we packed a whole bunch of breakfast bars, sandwiches and snacks to keep us going. We all made the most of having a long hot shower then the kids enjoyed the new puzzle books I had brought for them.

Next we went up to explore the ship, the kids of course chose to spend their €10 from the grandparents on yet another squishmallow teddy and turns out there was a lady performing and teaching circus tricks so that kept them entertained for over an hour. They got to try walking on stilts, diablo, plate spinning, juggling and a few other things.

Afterwards we went back to the cabin for lunch only to realise we'd forgot some of the essentials such as a knife to spread butter! Oh well we made do and there weren't any complaints. Circus lady was performing a show later on so the kids had some time to watch part of a movie whilst I managed a 2 mile run in the gym which could have doubled as a sauna the way the sun was shining in through the full height windows. I had just enough time to collapse and try cool down before heading up to see her. We were sorely disappointed, we thought she'd be using all the equipment from earlier but instead she did a 10 min (at best) performance on a ladder then got all the children to line up to get a balloon animal. At least the kids were happy with their dog and snake. We ventured out onto the open deck which despite being really windy was rather warm then the kids wanted to play in the ball pit so I took the opportunity to escape back to the cabin for blog writing.

We managed to get some free hot water from the bar to make our pot noodles in the end which is very handy since the restaurant meal was €120 for all of us! The kids watched a movie then it was straight to bed for us all to get a good night's sleep.