Our second home exchange on this 2017 European journey took us to the town of Oldenburg in Holstein, north of Hamburg. We travelled to the beautiful cities Luebeck and Schwerin in 2015 but the area we found ourselves in around Oldenburg reminded me of Denmark and perhaps Sweden.

"Holstein reveals itself as a region that feels distinctly Nordic." - Guide

Our exchange host kindly introduced us to the area with an afternoon spent at a Country Crafts Fair in an old and atmospheric estate and to the coast where the island of Fehmarn is accessed from the seaside town of Heilegenhafen. From the next day we were on our own with a rental car to explore the area.

Many of the town streets, squares and buildings were also reminiscent of England, with much red brick, steep roofs (even some thatch) and houses opening right on to narrow cobbled streets.