Greifswald

At the end of the Second World War,
this small East German town on the coast of the Baltic Sea
capitulated to the Russians against Hitler's orders.

It became run-down during the GDR years,
but since reunification it has been rehabilitated
and is now a popular tourist destination.

The University of Greifswald was celebrating
its 550th anniversary while we were there.

The Society for Ecological Restoration invited Gary to give a talk during its annual conference,
the plenary sessions for which were held in the 15th century Saint Nikolai Cathedral (above),
which sported a big screen for Power Point projections for the occasion.

Below is a panorama of the city taken from atop the cathedral. (It's 262 steps up.)
(You can fetch the full-sized version by clicking on the image -- but it will be a huge file.)

Below is a panorama of the old market square, which hosts a fine market several days a week.
(You can fetch the full-sized version by clicking on the image -- but it will be a huge file.)
The university runs a botanical garden. It has lots of exotic plants,
but we posed with the vegetables, which had more vigor than ours at home.
The conference included "mid-week excursions." Ours was to nearby Rügen Island where innovative
grazing policies help preserve natural diversity on the rolling landscape along the Baltic coast.
Konrad Ott is an environmental philosopher at the University of Greifswald who invited Gary to speak at the conference.

He also was a wonderful tour guide during our stay.

Here he is with Melissa in front of a 200 year old drawbridge in the nearby fishing village of Wieck.