september2014
22
FLYTO
berlin
fivetimesdaily.
brusselsairlines.com
ILLUSTRATION: KATESUTTON/HANDSOMEFRANK; ROBERTHARDING
It’sahead-turner, that’s for sure.With its iconicbubblechassis, the
Volkswagenbug, onEuropean roadssince 1938, remainsaGerman
designclassic.Onasunnymorning inBerlin’s fashionablePrenzlauer
Bergdistrict,wecan’t helpbut enjoy theadmiringglancesof passers-by
aswedraw the topdownonashinysilver cabriolet variant of the
latestA5– lower-profileandaltogethermorestylish than
thecartoonishpseudo-retro 1998 reboot of this
famousandhistoric“people’scar”, asVolkswagen
clunkily translates.
Our eventual destination is theBalticcoast,
roughly threehoursaway, but right nowwe’reon
ourway towherewe’ll spendour first night: the
lakedistrict ofMecklenburg-Vorpommern, apart
of thenorth-eastern regionofGermanyhemmed
inbyBrandenburg,Polandand theNorthSea.Vast
but largelyunspoilt, it’shome to 14national parksandhundreds
of natureconservationareas.
Originallydesigned in the 1930sasa reliableandeconomical
means forGermans toutilise thecountry’snewautobahns, today’s
Beetle isasmoothandsteady ride. It’salsosurprisinglyquiet, even
as I gun it down thespeed limit-freestretchesof theA24andA19
autobahns.The interior possesses touches ranging from the
nostalgic (ahighdashboardmodelledafter theoriginal Beetle) to
the rock’n’roll (Fender speakers). Evenasmorepowerful carsbullet
past us, this little looker still eatsup terrain, deliveringusearly toour
first night’s layover.Our hosts tonight live inRensow, a tinyvillagesooff
thebeaten track theconfused in-built sat nav initially leadsus toan
empty field. If asmart silver soft-topBeetle turnedheads inBerlin, it
inspiresdisbelieving laughter among tractor-drivers in thispatchof
formerEastGermancountryside.
After years living inbusyCopenhagen, diplomat-
economistKnutSplett-Henningandhiswife
ChristinaAhlefeldt-Laurvigdecided toembrace the
simple life.They’veappropriatedand impeccably
restoredanenormousbut decrepit 17thcentury
baroquemanor into thebeautiful antique-chic
GutshausRensow. Every fewdays theyhost an
openmeal for localsandvisitors in their own
kitchen–abit likea funkier versionof theFrench
chambresd’hôtes
.
It’san idyllicandeccentricplace,withpeacocksstruttingaround the
gardenanda jet-blackGreatDanepadding thecreaky floorboards.
Servedat achunkywooden table, the food is rusticand flavoursome:
tender slow-roastedbeef andchicken, freshlymadebread, goodwine.
Thenextmorningwemake for thecoast, andmorecharming
hospitality in theprettyspa townofKühlungsborn.AlbrechtKurbjuhn
andhis familybought theseafrontHotel PolarStern just after the fall of
SnugasaBug
Day tripper
Malcolm Jack
belatedly succumbs to Beetlemania piloting
a Volkswagen convertible fromBerlin to the Baltic coast
“
Today’sBeetle is
asmoothandsteady
ride, andsurprisingly
quiet, evenas Igun it
down theautobahn
”
TheGermanseasidespa
townof Kühlungsborn
