The way to Bali leads past Edeka Meyer and a bicycle shop, then you can see Glinde's largest block of flats, the size of which is surprising for such a small suburb of Hamburg. The road meanders from here into the Feldmark, wheat is grown here instead of rice, but a little imagination is required for an Indonesia holiday here in the Middle East of the Hanseatic city.
Finally, the entrance rises in the form of a pagoda, and here, as the door closes behind the visitor, Asia can also be smelled: jasmine and sandalwood emanate from the incense sticks at the reception desk. "Selamat datang", Welcome. So this is where Bali begins in northern Germany.
Two brothers from North Rhine-Westphalia had this latest branch of the “Vabali” wellness chain built. Facilities already exist in Düsseldorf and Berlin, and another one is being planned for Munich. Motivated by their own trips to Indonesia, they want to bring the scandal-free aura of this dream destination to Germany and there close to the affluent urban clientele who are as receptive to recharging their own energy centers as their laptops. However, it has to stay in the locker, as does the mobile phone. “We do digital detox here,” is the explanation. A cheated home office and Bali, that doesn't have good karma.
However, investors have also invested so much in quiet and other relaxation areas that it would almost be mean not to pay full attention to them. There are 13 saunas, some of them huge, three pools – including one designed as a natural lake – many other plunge pools in every temperature range and a lawn that would decorate any small town outdoor pool.
Dark wood dominates in the many relaxation rooms inside, and once you get used to the low light intensity, your gaze wanders over what is probably the largest exhibition of upholstered furniture and loungers in northern Germany, and there are also large numbers of water beds.
Around 500 people can stay here at the same time, after paying a maximum of 45 euros, naked or in a bathrobe - other textiles are not welcome - and, in addition to sauna sessions and massage treatments, also enjoy that taste has been proven in the furnishing with Asian items of all kinds, much was imported directly from Bali.
Friends of fine carving will enjoy it; it has definitely succeeded in creating a strange world here. However, the problems of the nearby world could soon affect the feel-good climate, because the energy for the "Vabali" is not obtained from the many Buddha figures - but from natural gas.
Hamburg not only has more bridges than Venice and Amsterdam together, but also a corresponding number of waterways: canals, canals, Alster courses and tributaries of the Elbe invite you to linger in or on the water. On the Dove-Elbe in the south-east of the city, for example, Mareijke and Heiko Buhr, also owners of Bergedorfer Schifffahrtslinie, offer accommodation with their “Hamburg Boats” with an Amsterdam feeling. After driving through the less than charming Moorfleeter industrial area, the houseboat holiday feeling sets in on the green Moorfleeter dike near Eichbaumsee and the Dove-Elbe water park.
Strictly speaking, the houseboat "Sutje" is a fully developed English canal ship, 18 square meters in size, eleven and a half meters long and 50 hp, equipped with an electric motor, solar panels, air conditioning - and everything that is necessary on board. Two people can sleep in the cozy double berth (from 160 euros), the limited space is well used with many built-in components. "Wow, a miniature wonderland to live in!" was the spontaneous comment of the children who had brought them with them. If you have the appropriate driver's license, you can even set off and sail along the Dove-Elbe, the engine should manage up to two and a half hours at a time.
At the berth, the view from the rear deck is of the Tatenberg marina, in the distance to the left behind trees a few windmills, to the right further piers with motor boats and yachts. Swimming is expressly permitted here, and stand-up paddling can also be done directly from the jetty. Otherwise, small binoculars are available to observe ducks, anglers or boats passing by. An unexpected holiday idyll, quieter than in Amsterdam or Venice - only the chirping of birds and the quiet murmur of the motorway can be heard. And after the sunset over the Tatenberger Schleuse, gentle rocking leads to a peaceful sleep. a.k
A flight from Hamburg to Marrakech would take a good four hours. The way from the city center to "Le Marrakech", perhaps the most beautiful outlying branch in northern Morocco, is much shorter. The journey to Groß Borstel, where the Többen-Wellenkamp family has been bringing the Orient to life for 22 years, takes less than 20 minutes.
The holiday begins as soon as you walk across the densely overgrown terrace, on which there is a gentle scent of oleander. At the latest when the dark wooden door opens to the inside of "Le Marrakech", the reserved Nordic flair of the Hanseatic city is forgotten. An opulently decorated restaurant awaits the guest, with carpets on high walls and hundreds of shimmering lamps under the ceiling. The tables are tiled with oriental patterns, the chairs, benches and cushions are upholstered in heavy, shiny fabrics.
It all started about 30 years ago with a friend's invitation to visit her husband's homeland. From Morocco, Kirsten Wellenkamp and Hans Többen brought along whatever designs they liked. Almost by accident it became first a wholesaler of Moroccan crockery, decoration and tiles and later a shop where everyone could buy all that.
If customers stayed long, there was also a little something to eat. Today, "Le Marrakech" is mainly a restaurant (main courses 15 to 25 euros). If you want, you can still buy Moroccan handicrafts. On Fridays and Saturdays, guests can also smoke a hookah. There is also a belly dancing show on one of the weekend days. juvenile
The alpaca trend, which has also reached Hamburg and the surrounding area for a few years, provides a little South American Andean feeling. In 2009, Hof Wiedwisch in Kummerfeld (hof-wiedwisch.de) was one of the first in northern Germany to specialize in the cuddly animals, which, like the larger llamas, belong to the camel species. Around 80 alpacas now live there, including some breeding stallions and currently 15 foals.
Anyone who finds hiking across the flat country boring can perhaps warm up for a walk with the animals that were domesticated around 7000 years ago and are popular above all for their fluffy wool: After a short briefing, we walk together over hill and dale for two hours (costs: 43 euros). Each participant leads an animal himself (according to farm operator and farmer Carl Rusch, sometimes it's the other way around). As a trained baker, Dörte Wendorff-Rusch provides cakes and snacks at the alpaca after-work evenings and the alpaca coffee gossip. The latter events take place directly on the pasture, so that drinks are served in the midst of the herd (from 47 euros, discount for children from 12 years and groups). a.k
