Created by 3GoExploring.
Germany’s northernmost capital city, nestled within the 17km Fjord a major maritime centre - home of the German Navy Baltic Fleet and known across the globe for Kiel Week the biggest sailing event worldwide. Kiel is our first destination on this 16-night cruise to the Baltics and we have docked in the heart of the city.
We set off at 8:30am after that most important hearty breakfast. They do say breakfast is the most important meal of the day and knowing how our walks can sometimes turn out to take slightly longer than anticipated, we always ensure we eat well. From where the ship was docked, we turned right after leaving the port and followed the Kielline passing the seals in the GeoMar. The seals in the outside tank didn’t disappoint and put on a show for us, where else can you see a free seal show.
Our walk continued along the Keillinie passing the Schleswig-Holsteinischer Landtag - the State Parliament building and the Flandernbunker a protective bunker from the Second World
War.
Opposite the bunker is German Navel Dockyard, we had to follow the perimeter fence around the Dockyard, but this did lead us through some lovely streets and very interesting buildings. After the Navel Dockyard you come to the Aussichtplattform Schleuse, huge ships navigate this lock that leads to the Kieler Canal.
We continued to explore past these huge locks watching the ship pass through, we then came across a bonus, a ferry that crossed the canal, what made this find even better…it was free, yes free. A busy ferry that crossed the canal carrying both pedestrians and cyclists every 10-15 minutes.
We jumped on board and took the 5-minute crossing, from here we were able the visit the Leuchtturm Kiel-Holtenau a short 15 minute walk from the ferry. A striking lighthouse that overlooks the Fjord.
The mercury was now rising so we decide to head back to Kiel, returning on the free ferry and walking back past the Navel Dockyard into the city centre. We were deciding whether to hop back on board for lunch, however time was ticking on and we still wanted to see the sights of Kiel City.
Visiting the oldest building in the city - a 13th-century Church, St. Nikolai. However, it was remodelled in the 19th century to Gothic Style. St Nikolai church lies in the Old Town quarter, starting from the port to the city. More than 80% of the old town was destroyed during World War Two resulting in major remodelling and refurbishment.
From here we walked through the bustling City Centre up to the Opera House and Hiroshima Park.
This area is lovely and given today’s temperatures, the trees made a welcome shield from the sun. After taking in the sights and sounds of Kiel we decided it was time to head back to the ship for a late lunch.
Today’s walk was fantastic, it was hot with the temperature hitting 30 Degrees…not what we were expecting for the Baltics. This walk ended up being 12 miles, well worth seeing what we managed to see.
I would recommend anyone who is able to follow this route you won’t be disappointed with what Kiel has to offer.
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