Laboe
I would describe Laboe as a German beach Holiday area, lovely beaches the first real sandy beaches we have seen since Ireland. Not rocks, not grey sand but real yellow normal sand, unfortunately the beaches however are covered by beach huts, these strange (cheap) looking plastic/cane creations are on every beach. I guess they offer shelter but many of them seem to be facing away from the water and in our opinion the view. We assume they turn them according to the wind? However before you can get to the huts (which you hire) you must pay to use the beach, yes that’s right there is a €2.50 beach user charge from a machine (just like buying a parking ticket) so I assume there are also beach inspectors, although we didn’t see any and the weather wasn’t really beach going weather (although a few huts were being used). Of course my mind wonders directly to how you would keep your beach user ticket you brought from the machine dry while you swim in the ocean and use the beach. Along with the beaches is also an attractive promenade lined with ice-cream shops, cafe’s, fish and chip shops and trinket shops. All very clean and rather new looking.
A short walk from the marina is Laboe Naval Memorial (tower) built over 9 years (1927-1936) it was originally a memorial to World War I, then after 1945 was added to in memory of those killed in World War II, finally in 1954 in was rededicated to commemorate the sailors of all nationalities who died during the World Wars.
The monument is a 72 meter high tower topped with an observation deck which stands 85 meters above sea level, and yes we took the stairs to get to the top. There is also a hall of remembrance and linking the two is an underground memorial (which I must admit I found a bit spooky with a few slow dripping leaks seeping in from the soil above, as well as wind howling through the ventilation holes, and the dimness being only lit by a very small circle sky light in the middle of the really large area, making it all rather dark). Also on the beach below the tower is a German submarine U-boat, the only remaining type u boat in the world which is now used as a technical museum.
Laboe was a chance to catch up on washing (long overdue) whilst we had two days of howling wind and rain but were safe in the shelter of the marina. Phil also had a chance to replace the water intake hose for the engine, which had worn a small hole in the bend that rubs on the engine cover – which was the source of small amount of water beginning to pool at the bottom of the engine when motoring (not a big deal as it was the original hose so had worked well for the last 12 years), he also give the toilet out tube another good clean (glad he gets that job).
Red Roo 
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