Today’s drive was just three and a half hours, initially along quiet country roads and through small villages where you have to know to keep your speed down to 50 kph although there is not always a sign saying this. Most of these country roads have a cycle track next to them with a wide, often tree-lined, verge between them. Then we merged onto an autobahn and the sat nav said “stay on this road for 84 miles”. Autobahns are normally a very easy drive and so it proved today. There are a number of rest stops, some with just a toilet block, some with a cafe/shop, which gives an opportunity to change drivers.
Bad Doberan is a small town linked with Heiligendamm on the coast which, in the former GDR, was a popular resort on the on the Baltic coast. Tonight’s venue was in a former monastery, now used as an arts centre and with a small youth hostel. Next to this is a ruined church then nearby is the Doberaner Münster, a large 14th century church. It was nice and sunny when we arrived and many people, some families, were wandering around the grounds and enjoying cake from the cafe.
The Kornhaus is where the monks used to store their corn, hence the name.
There is a lovely cafe at the front. We were expected but not at a precise time. When we arrived, we asked if we could get a meal and the lady in charge said “can you wait 45 minutes”. Of course we could. Around an hour later we were sitting down to an amazing chicken casserole with fresh salad from their garden. Touring small venues in northern Germany has its surprises.
I should add that those slightly wonky looking glasses contained non-alcoholic beer – we were working!
Ray has played here many times before. This time, his show is part of a concert series. The promoter is active politically in the local area and was very keen for Ray to sing The Beast which he put third on his set list.
As we are now in the former East Germany (the DDR), Ray sang his song The Palace Of Tears.
The venue was full. Although some people had cancelled at the last minute because they discovered there was an important national football final that evening, others turned up without reserving tickets.
Ray has been starting his second set with The Unknown Soldier Has A Name on the mandolin which is proving very popular. Tonight his encore was Little Flame, also on the mandolin, a song he wrote many years ago for his daughter.
After the show, a man spoke with Ray and said that when listening to Brave Wolfe, a song about war in 1759, it brought to his mind a drone operator in Ukraine in 2025. Such is the power of music on our thoughts.
A Visitor On Europe’s Roads 
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