Bremen's love of water

Im Sommer spielt das Leben hier vor allem an der Weser und im Citizen's Park – SUP-Lehrerin Tessa Heyde zeigt uns ihre Lieblingsorte in der Hansestadt.

Between the water lilies a few ducks practice paddling in a slalom. The branches of large old trees almost dip into the water. And now we're about to pass under one of the small pedestrian bridges. It's nice and green here and nice and cool, despite the summer heat. Tessa is thrilled, she rows and laughingly exclaims, "Well, now, if this isn't romantic." Yes, it is, and also quite nostalgic. Because we are gliding through the shady Bürgerpark in two old wooden rowboats that can be rented here. Together with the city forest, this is Bremen's largest park. Tessa is otherwise more likely to be standing up and moving in a different direction - on her SUP board. And her home port is not the Bürgerpark, but the small SUP station "Ins Blaue" at the Werdersee. The Bremen native and her boyfriend have been running the rental shop, which offers courses and excursions, for about five years. Today she shows us her favorite places on the water.

So we best start einmal ganz von vorn: 9 Uhr in der Früh. Wir treffen Tessa Heyde an der Station der Sielwallfähre, die südöstlich der Schlachte unermüdlich auf der Weser zwischen Stadt und Weserinsel hin- und hertuckert. Tessa kommt wie der Sausewind mit ihrem Bike auf dem Radweg direkt am Fluss angedüst und schiebt es auf das kleine, weiße Schiff – Ticket kaufen, Rad platzschonend parken, fünf Minuten Wind und Wasser genießen. Es ist ihr Weg zur Arbeit. Ihr SUP-Verleih liegt hinter den Schrebergärten und Sportplätzen auf der Weserinsel. Dort gibt es einen großen Container mit Boards, einen DLRG-Posten und Tessas Outdoor-Arbeitsplatz: ein Tischchen vor knallblauer Wand, auf dem von einem pinkfarbenen Schirm beschattet ihr Laptop steht. Ziemlich cool hier draußen. Und jwd. Die Weserinsel ist auf eine sehr entspannte, sympathische Art und Weise etwas aus der Zeit gefallen, und das Stadtgetose ist hier wirklich weit weg.

Tessa tells: "The Weser Island isn't really an island at all, it's connected to the countryside, but for me this green oasis in the middle of the city already has quite a bit of island flair." This is where the people of Bremen:inside come for a little time out. And perhaps for water sports on the Werdersee, the quiet, idyllic branch of the Weser. According to Tessa, it's great for stand-up paddling because it's not only calmer than on the Weser, the current isn't as strong. This morning, however, it is blowing quite a bit, and it therefore remains quiet at the station. Also Tessas small, vegan snack bar does not open - pity, we would have tried the vegan fish & chips already times gladly. "I understand," says Tessa, "they're really mega, we've tried all the varieties."

Bremen forms together with Bremerhaven the smallest state in the republic. And the Hanseatic city, home to around 570,000 people, really does seem to be up to all kinds of things. Nostalgic in the city park, cool and young at Lake Werder. And peppered with sights at Schlachte and in the old town. That's where Tessa wants to go with us now. We have another coffee at Café Sand just before the ferry station, and Tessa tells us how she used to build sand castles on the banks of the Weser. She is convinced: "Every child in Bremen knows the beach here." And indeed - the current sandcastle generation squats in the sand and unabashedly builds trenches and towers. Time to chat a bit: Tessa started her own business rather by accident. When the stand-up paddling trend started, she rented out a few boards from her basement to people who were interested. In the meantime, a small water sports company has grown out of it.

Arrived at the Schlachte schieben wir die Räder lieber, sie ist Bremens touristisches Stück Weserufer: Dort liegen berühmte Segler, wie die Alexander von Humboldt. Dort gibt’s Restaurant- und Hotelschiffe, Ausflugsfahrten, ganz viel maritimes Flair –  und der beeindruckende Marktplatz mit den Bremer Stadtmusikanten liegt auch nur einen Katzensprung entfernt. Von der Schlachte, wo wir kurz zu Mittag essen, radeln wir über den Markt auf Radwegen und einer breiten Fahrradstraße zum Bürgerpark – und nach der Ruderpartie wieder zurück zum Fluss. Dieses Mal geht’s Richtung Westen, am Fluss entlang avantgardistisch wirkender Waterfront-Wohnhäuser zum Waller Sand – einem künstlich angelegten Sandstrand am Ende des Quartiers, wo man mit Blick auf die Kräne des Neustädter Hafens gut entspannen kann.

There Tessa sits with us in the sand and tells us why she likes Bremen so much as her home: because all routes are so easy to take by bike - the city does comparatively much for cyclists. Because her home is so rich in water and more and more beautiful locations are opening up on the waterfront. In addition to Café Sand, Tessa recommends Die Komplette Palette just outside the city. And because the lifestyle in Bremen, Germany's smallest state, is so relaxed, international and cosmopolitan. The sun is already low as we whiz along the waterfront back into the city, crisscrossing Überseestadt, the former port area. A new district with restaurants and bars is currently being built there. Tessa especially likes the transitional period; she enjoys watching the neighborhood grow, because it also gives rise to many creative ideas that are spun out. It remains exciting in her water-loving hometown.

P.S.: Who wants to sleep on the Weser, who books a mini-cabin in Bremen on the former sailing ship Alexander von Humboldt - incidentally, the ship from the 90s Becks commercial with the green giant sails. They have long since been caught up and the space available in the rooms in the ship's belly is really limited. But the place to spend the night is something special. There's a restaurant on deck of the colossus lying on the Schlachte. And at night, guests are gently rocked to sleep.

Take the train to Bremen comfortably and without traffic jams: Plan arrival.

Cover picture: Charming Hanseatic city - the best way to discover Bremen is by and on the water © Oliver Raatz