In less than a month I will be in Rostock the first time in over 30 years!

Although I have been to Germany a couple of times, I haven’t returned to Rostock or any of the former DDR since my studies there in 1989.

Last year I was invited to go sailing on the Baltic with my long-time friend, Frank, who lives in Germany. It was a fantastic experience, and I wrote a 7-part blog series about it. We all had such a great time that we decided to do it again this year, and the port from which our twin-masted Dutch schooner will depart will be Rostock!

I can’t wait to return and see the city. One of my American classmates married a German and has been living near Rostock and teaching English for decades. She will take me back to my old stomping grounds at the former Wilhelm Pieck Universität (now Rostock Universität), which is the third oldest university in Germany (founded in 1419!).

I’m sure much has changed and I may recognize little, but I’m anxious to return and happy to be seeing and sailing with the friends I made last year.