Ahoy, Captain!

What a beautiful morning on the water! The sun glistens on the waves. Our boat moves leisurely across the lake, my gaze wanders from the bathing platform across the water to the shore. The bright cries of the mermaids are only slightly different from the cheerful children's laughter that echoes towards us. Only when the sound of ringing bells on the table behind me demands my attention do I turn away from the idyll of Lake Jabel and towards the inviting sound behind me. Then we clink glasses, my friends and I, and look forward to another day of vacation on our houseboat.

This also includes making way for the excursion boats coming towards us in the canals between the various lakes. It's exciting, but basically harmless. The canals are narrow and surrounded by dense forest. But some of these coniferous passages are reminiscent of mangrove forests in the American southern states in their grand splendor - and this incredible backdrop compensates for the thrill of encountering the large animals. We wait outside the entrance to the canal until the large boat of the Blue and White Fleet has sailed past us and wave cheerfully to the passengers: a sea voyage is not only fun, it can also be very sociable.

Half an hour later, we anchor in the shores of the Müritz. The sun is high in the sky, temperatures are rising on board and we feel like taking to the water for a little swim. We splash around happily in the pleasantly temperate water of the lake until one of us gets the idea that a little exercise wouldn't hurt. A few minutes later, we're standing on the SUP boards we've brought with us and paddling around. Of course, this can't be done without one or two waterfalls over the banks. But that does not detract from the joy. After all, former Chancellor Adenauer already knew: "Falling is neither dangerous nor a disgrace. Lying down is both.“ (To be honest: many a time I have remained lying on the cozy cushions of our houseboat – after all, this is supposed to be a relaxing holiday …) We spend hour after hour finally reading all the books we've had on the bedside table for months and rediscover how much fun an afternoon of games on board can be. We salvage the treasures we have stored in our fridge and discover that culinary delicacies taste twice as good in a light swell as they do on land.