European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 8, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Holiday Home below the waterfront of Flensburg Germany. The City sits on the danish German Border. By Ellen Newmark what is All this grumbling about the incredible shrinking Dollar keeping everyone at Home you can still enjoy a rustic vacation in a Ferrien Wahnung Holiday apartment in Northern Germany for relatively few of those precious greenbacks. R the Ferrien Wahnung is an old established custom among european vacationers but amazingly underutilized by americans. Often amounting to less than $10 per Day per person it is a real bargain. On a recent trip with my husband and my parents our costs came to about $40 per person per Day including food lodging Gas and admissions. We first drove from Stuttgart to Osterode in the Harz mountains. There the tourist office found us a Ferrien Wahnung in a neighbouring Village tucked into the Hills. The Landlady did not speak English but after All the smiling and handshaking it did not seem to matter. The Ferrien Wahnung at the top of her House was fairly typical two bedrooms living room Kitchenette and bathroom. They come larger and smaller but they Are always Homey and equipped for a Long stay. 7 ours was fully furnished from dishes and cookware Down to wine glasses and even a Silver Tea service. Because it was Only a one night stay breakfast was do Ucol served in the family s cozy living room. The Brotcher hard Rolls were fresh the Jam homemade and the eggs came from the chickens out Back. Apartment with breakfast Cost 25 Marks per person about $16. Osterode provided a pleasant walk before dinner. It is a walled town of nicely restored half timbered houses and narrow streets full of shops and restaurants. We had a memorable dinner of Crisp rotisserie Chicken slathered with a fragrant spinach and garlic sauce for 7.50 Marks about $5.00. During the Winter Osterode is popular for Cross country skiing in the gently sloping Harz mountains. In the summer the attractions Are picturesque walking trails horseback Riding and folklore shows. Just outside town Lii a Pristine Lake surrounded by Green Hills forestland idyllic campsites. A longer stay would be worthwhile but we he o or p ans. The next morning we moved on toward our destination near the danish Border. On the Way we stopped at Schleswig originally called Hait Habu and built by the Vikings Over 1,000 years ago. There we visited Pottorf Castle Home of one of the most famous altarpiece in Germany and an adjoining museum that houses a 1,500-year-old wooden ship. The original Viking settlement of Hait Habu lies about three Kilometres away at the head of the fiord. There you can visit a Viking museum As Well As the Hait Habu archaeological site and the Dane Werk an earthen and. Nce snal Ltd its Way from the Baltic to the North sea. It is the Viking equivalent of the great Wall of  Habu is full of winding paths and Lovely sea views