GERMANY - HALT !

Kuehlungsborn is a very fashionable Baltic seaside resort at the end of the Molli Steam Railway (see below). However don't forget I'm now in what was the DDR so things were not always like today. Most infamous of the East German border barriers was of course the Berlin Wall. Next in line was the Inner German Border dividing the two German states, but what about the coast? Denmark is not that far away and parts of what was West Germany are even closer. Given that people swim the Channel .............

On the sea front at Kuehlungsborn there is a preserved former border patrol tower. These towers were strung along the coast enabling up to four border guards to control a 12 mile wide sea area. This was an important part of the border defences.

Now all you lighthouse volunteers - how about working here?

I had to climb up a series of vertical metal ladders between platforms. This photo is from the top (to prove I got there) so going down you go down the ladder to the half platform you can see, turn, then there is another ladder on the other side of the hole to take you down to another half platform and then you turn to pick up the original ladder to another half platform and so on). This was obviously designed for use by very fit soldiers rather than tourists - it was hard work!

From the top of course there were very good views along the coast and after all that effort it was time for some lunch and a beer