Rostock also remains a vibrant seaport on the Warnow River. Along its piers, modern equipment shares space with historic granaries. It's also where boats leave every half-hour for the 45-minute trip to Warnemünde (trains leave every 15 minutes from the main rail station for a 20-minute ride).

 
Water is the best route to Warnemünde, a town so tied to the sea. The boat follows the Warnow to its wide mouth at the Baltic. Huge Scandline ferries bound for Copenhagen and Helsinki dwarf yachts and fishing boats. At the pier, the ocean liner Crown Princess looms over the town, having discharged its nearly 1,600 passengers most of whom will simply board buses for a day-trip to Berlin.

 
It takes barely three minutes to walk from the boat landing, under the railway station, to the town center. This means crossing the Alter Strom - the old channel used for nearly 500 years but closed off in 1903 when the new channel was widened. On the near side of the Alter Strom, fishing boats lie tied to cleats as their crews sell from tables heaped with fish. Several men stay on board and repair nets. Some fish are placed in large metal smokers, where vendors write the estimated ready time in chalk: "Butterfish 11:30." "Flounder 12." Every now and then, after a quick check inside, the vendor wipes away the time and chalks a new one in its place. Smoke wafts over the crowds, as seagulls dive for leftovers.

 
Crossing the footbridge over the Alter Strom, most tourists turn right toward the shops and beach. Turn left instead, and be rewarded with a walk through narrow alleys lined with centuries-old gabled fishermen's houses. An occasional glimpse into a backyard reveals tiny courtyards with proudly tended flowers. Few crowds come this way, and the quiet inner streets seem little changed from earlier times. There's no glitz here, just genuine charm.

 
Back to the right of the bridge, boutiques, cafes and galleries face the channel, on this side lined with boats converted to take-out restaurants selling everything fish: herring, salmon, squid, mackerel, pickled fish, smoked fish, fish sandwiches, fish-kabobs, fish cakes. For barely three euros for a typical serving, it's hard to go wrong.

 
Where the old and new channels meet, the 92-foot-high Warnemünde Lighthouse has spread its protective beacon since 1897. In more recent years, it has become a tourist attraction as well, offering one of the best views of the sea, harbor and town. Past the lighthouse, the Westmole, a 1600-foot breakwater topped with a wide cement walkway, extends into the Baltic and provides the best vantagepoint for watching ships make their way to sea. At a right angle to the breakwater, a promenade runs from the lighthouse, along the beach and out of sight.