Date: 22. October 2022
Authors: Hannes & Lennox
Position: Dartmouth Harbour
Geographical Position: 50°24.07’ N 003°34.5’ W
Etmal: 429,7 NM
What was happening today?
In the morning we moved our ship from the middle of the river of about 50 meters to starboard side to the harbour because we weren’t allowed to stay at the quay overnight during the storm.
Then we had a two-hour shore leave and went through the marketplace in Dartmouth. After our shore-leave we had a crew-meeting and got to know our new board-doctor Robyn.
Since we didn’t do that much today, we decided to interview some mates and ask them what they think about Dartmouth:
- What was your first impression of Dartmouth?
Franzi: A nice vacation spot if you want peace and quiet.
Sophie: I was stunned by the beautiful location of Dartmouth and I was excited to explore the town.
Caro: I was stunned by its beauty, and it is a very cinematic place. I can understand where Agatha Christi (who has her second home in Dartmouth) gets her inspirations from.
Nicolai: Very beautiful and romantic, but the military is very present because of the Royal Navy College.
- Did you talk to some of the locals? What did you find out?
Franzi: Yes, Dartmouth is a great place to spend your retirement.
Sophie: I was talking to an old man who told me a little bit about the churches in Dartmouth.
Caro: Yes, very polite people here, definitely a retirement area.
Nicolai: Yes, I met an old man and he told us that before World War II, this was a place was where the allies met before the attack on Nazi-Germany in 1944. The old men shook my hand and said with a smile in his face that the countries are at peace now. - What have your learned about Dartmouth’s history?
Franzi: Once there were dolphins in the river… that’s all I learned.
Sophie: Back in the day, the locals were too lazy to walk up a hill for a church, so they built another one a few meters below.
Caro: Very historical place; Royal Navy College is here.
Teacher-Simon: When I talked to the local librarian, he told me that the Mayflower, who brought the first pilgrims to America, was to be accompanied by a second ship from Dartmouth: The Speedwell. However, this ship got damaged in a mysterious way, so the Mayflower had to travel alone. Many of the pilgrims on the Mayflower, who later founded the USA, originally came from Dartmouth.
- What was your favourite place and activity in Dartmouth – would you visit it again?
Franzi: Drinking the pumpkin spice latte while exploring its shops. I definitely would.
Sophie: I would definitely visit Dartmouth again. I love the tiny bookshops.
Caro: The cliffs; Yes I would.
Nicolai: My favourite place was the little beach because it was very beautiful, calm and silent. Looking at the waves smashing the rock was very impressive.
- What have you learned about the English culture?
Franzi: All of the people are very nice. They say ‘’sorry’’, even if you’re the one bumping into them
Sophie: They have many dogs.
Caro: Nothing in particular, Brits are just…very British
Nicolai: I learned, that the most people here are very polite and respectful, but some of them have prejudices against German people. The prejudices are from the WW2 and some of the people have an old point of view about Germans. They don’t know that the German mindset has changed.
- What are the differences between Germany and in England?
Franzi: The streets are built differently; same as the houses, they’re tiny, pretty and old.
Sophie: Germany’s ambulance are more reliable.
Caro: England is still living with its imperial past and still holds on to their past. Germany doesn’t.
Nicolai: A big difference is, that in England there are many little coffee shops or other little stores, but no big shopping centres.
- What was your funniest experience here?
Franzi: Taking selfies with locals was fun every time.
Sophie: That a local didn’t want to give Nicolai a high five.
Caro: Going with pumpkins trough the Dartmouth’s town.
Nicolai: Some of us and me went into the sea and have a lot of fun with the huge waves.
Greetings:
Caro: To my family and friends.
Franzi: To girls family xx
Nicolai: To my Pia and my family.
