A berry funny day

It was a beautiful Saturday in May; the sun was shining high in the sky; the birds were singing in the trees; children were playing outside, laughing happily… And what was I doing? Sitting inside, inside at my desk, inside brooding over some tasks for university. My gaze kept wandering to the window and the nice weather outside; I decided I needed a break and a change of scenery. I grabbed my phone and sent a text to my friend, Manni. She was in the same predicament — stuck inside, trying to concentrate on her university tasks rather than the sun shining through her window — and practically jumped at the opportunity of a way out.

I hopped on my scooter, and a few minutes later I had picked up Manni from her place, and we were on our way to Karls Erlebnis-Dorf (Karl’s Adventure Village) in Rövershagen.

Once we had arrived at our destination, we took a look at the huge map right next to the entrance; we decided to stay outside in the sun — after all, we had started on this trip to get out, not to be stuck inside another place; so, we turned right and set out for the gate to enter the village and start our adventure.

As you can see on the map, the area is huge and filled to the brim with attractions: several playgrounds, a giant strawberry to climb into, the biggest beach chair you’ve ever seen, a petting zoo with goats and sheep, an enormous sandpit with miniature excavators and a big red bouncing pillow, and much more.

As we were walking past playing children, and exhausted parents taking a break from their everyday chores on nearby benches, we came across the “Schmetterlings-Garten“ (butterfly garden), a kind of greenhouse with exotic plants and butterflies. We paid the entrance fee of 2€ each, entered the building and were hit immediately by a wall of hot, humid air; the thermometer read about 40°C/104°F. My glasses fogged up instantly — as did the camera lens, which is why we don’t have any pictures; not that there was anything to take a photo of, though. The greenhouse’s only inhabitants were a few black butterflies, a wall of cocoons, and a plentitude of greenery. Honestly speaking, we were a little disappointed. Maybe it just wasn’t the right time of year, or the “models” weren’t feeling photogenic enough 😉

After the thermal shock, we continued our way around the village. At the far right of the area, we found the “Kartoffelsackrutsche“ (potato sack slide). I convinced Manni, who was a little skeptical, to give it a try; we both grabbed a potato sack from a box at the bottom of the slide and made our way up the stairs. On top of the tower, we used the short waiting time to enjoy the panoramic view of the village. Soon enough, it was our turn, and fearlessly we mounted our noble steeds potato sacks to plunge ourselves into the unknown, bumpy depths, not knowing if, at what speed, or in which condition we would reach the safety of firm ground again. The ride was exhilarating — akin to riding down a hill on a sledge but without all the cold, slushy snow; we found ourselves still laughing when we headed off to the next adventure.

We walked past the “Traktorbahn“ (where you can ride on a tractor on rails), the “Fliegender Kuhstall“ (flying cowshed, a funride that looked like it would make Dorothy’s flight to Oz seem like a walk in the park), and the petting zoo , and through a small shop, until we reached a building labeled “Eiswerk“ (ice studio)…

And now I pass the keyboard to Manni who wants to tell you something about what we found inside that building:

One thing Lizzie and I can definitely recommend is the unbelievably well designed ice world that you can visit regularly every year during the summer (approx. until August) at Karl’s ice studio as a part of its world of experience.

The breathtaking beautiful ice and snowscape of this year was created by 17 international artists under the slogan ”an expedition into the eternal ice“. You can visit over 20 extraordinary elegant artworks on a sector of approx. 2000m² ­­­– simply stunning! You need about approx. 30 min. to walk along the ice path.
The first thing I asked myself while seeing these huge, handmade sculptures — clearly made with blood, sweat and tears — was the question ”How can art like this be made in such detail just by mere mortals out of ice?“. Art at the highest and perhaps coldest level!!

You can find a wide range of ice sculptures, from Eskimos, a snow queen, over to penguins or polar bears and yetis (love yetis :D). The ice world is a real treat for the eyes, above all because of the impressive halos and the background music which all together creates a dreamy atmosphere as if wandering above a sea of ice.  A little climbing trail, a glacial-slide or a frosty picture at a summit are fun for the whole family!

The figures appear so alive that you get a realistic impression of them, and sometimes you forget that it is just ice. Another highlight is the live-ice carving by which you get closer to the artists than ever before! In this way, a new creature arises every month, as for instance the jellyfish or the frightening monumental-yeti with the sabre-tooth cat.

Try out the breathtaking, unbelievable expedition and take yourself into the land of ice! And don’t worry about becoming an ice sculpture yourself; you can get a nice, cozy, padded poncho at the entrance. 🙂

Now back to Lizzie…

Out of the icy cave, and out of the snuggly ponchos, we decided that it was time to refuel; luckily, we did not have to go too far to get to the “Pfannkuchen-Schmiede“ (pancake forge), a restaurant that, as the name suggests, offers only pancakes with different kinds of sweet (e.g. strawberries, applesauce, marshmallows, ice cream, etc.), or hearty (e.g. bacon and cheese, smoked salmon, etc.) toppings, and funny names. They’re not the cheapest at 6–8,50€, but definitely worth it. As we both have a sweet tooth, we ordered one of the sweet variety, and a hot beverage each. We were handed our drinks, and a square-shaped device that would buzz once our pancakes were ready; the whole procedure felt a bit like waiting in line for an appointment at the doctor’s, or some public authority with one vital difference: we were not dreading the buzz, but eagerly waiting for it.

After having finished the saccharine sins, and having barely escaped a diabetic coma — the portions can definitely be considered a whole meal — we definitely needed to move our bodies. So, we walked on to explore the remainder of Karl’s village, the huge “Bauernmarkt“ (farmer’s market). The market is spread out inside a giant barn; it offers everything you could ever have wanted, but never knew you needed — most of which you can actually watch being produced at the respective workshops: homemade bread from the “Hof-Bäckerei“ (farm bakery), roasted coffee from the “Hof-Rösterei“ (farm roastery), colourful hard candy from the “Bonbon-Manufaktur“ (candy manufacture), scented bars of soap from the “Seifenküche“ (soap kitchen), delicious, flavourful jams from the “Marmeladenküche“ (jam kitchen), decorations, a lot of other bits and bobs, and of course the famous strawberries (which are also sold at big, strawberry-shaped booths all over town); you could easily get lost in the maze of aisles and shelves; it can be quite overwhelming and head-spinning. We could have spent hours just walking through the rows, marvelling at the multitude of offered goods.

In the end, what was supposed to be a small break from desk work turned into a full fun day, which made us feel just a little guilty 🙂

If you’re looking for something to do no near Rostock, grab your friends, or family, and go to Karls; you’ll most certainly find something for everyone at this farm-turned-mini theme park!

 

If you want to know even more about Karl’s, have a look at what other people have already written about it:

• “A Chirpy Day at Karls Erdbeerhof“
• “Karl’s strawberry adventure farm“
• “Karls Erdbeerhof in Rövershagen“
• “Strawberry Time!“
• “Ice Age is coming!“

[mappress mapid=”205″]