Continuing on its way to Szczecin in Poland, the MS Chopin glides along the Old Oder and, from Hohensaaten, through the Lower Oder Valley National Park, which was founded in 1995 and covers a length of around 60 kilometres. A nature park ranger is on board and talks about this green paradise, which lies less than half a metre above sea level on the river that has formed the border between Germany and Poland since 1945. Polder meadows and peat islands glide by. In between, swans, geese and ducks swim on the water. In autumn, according to the ranger, around 15,000 cranes seek their roosts here. Beavers and otters are also native to the area. Meanwhile, the cycling group rides along the Oder dyke parallel to the MS Chopin and, thanks to e-bike ‘turbo’, arrives in Schwedt faster than the leisurely gliding river cruiser.

Schwedt an der Oder juts into the national park like a wedge and is one of the largest oil processing sites in Europe. We pass industrial chimneys, tank farms and pipelines, only to see large tobacco fields and drying barns shortly afterwards. During the GDR era, this was Germany's third-largest tobacco-growing region after the Palatinate and Baden, and even today the plant is still cultivated on several hectares.

Shortly afterwards, the Chopin makes a large loop into the heart of Szczecin, the capital of West Pomerania. Not far from the Dukes' Castle and the Chroby Ramparts, the captain moors at the waterfront promenade.

First, explore the city: all passengers go on a sightseeing tour. Numerous historic buildings were rebuilt in Szczecin after the Second World War. The Old Town Hall is surrounded by reconstructed town houses, including the birthplace of Alfred Döblin (1878-1957). Wide boulevards, squares with splashing fountains and large parks – strolling through the city is fun, and shopping queens are also in luck.

Meanwhile, a strong wind is blowing and rain showers are falling from the sky. Captain Weinstein has to make an announcement that is not uncommon. A storm with wind force eight is raging on the lagoon. That is too much for a river cruise ship. ‘We can sail up to force six under certain circumstances, but only if the wind is not coming from the side and pushing us out of the fairway,’ says the 60-year-old Czech.

The Szczecin Lagoon, a large lagoon sealed off from the Baltic Sea by the islands of Usedom and Wolin, is barely four metres deep and can only be navigated by larger ships via a dredged channel. "The water level hardly changes in the lagoon. It's not like other rivers. But the wind and the sandbanks are the problem. They shift and the channel has to be readjusted,‘ explains the captain, adding, ’Safety comes first. I am responsible for the passengers, crew and ship."

So we stay in Szczecin for one more night and visit Usedom by bus. In Wolgast, we cross the ‘Das blaue Wunder’ bascule bridge to Koserow and the seaside resort of Zinnowitz. There isn't much time to explore the island. But we do have time to walk across the pier to the diving gondola, eat a fish sandwich in a beach chair and take a dip in the Baltic Sea.

Back on board, the captain announces our departure in the afternoon: a window of calm weather has opened up. The storm has subsided briefly and we can sail across the Szczecin Lagoon. It will be three o'clock in the morning by the time we dock in Lauterbach on Rügen near Putbus. The lagoon crossing is a wildly romantic highlight of the journey. The MS Chopin ploughs its way through the waves with its 1500 hp engine, and Captain Weinstein has a specialist on board for these waters. While vigilant concentration reigns on the bridge, the passengers sit in deckchairs with coffee and cake and enjoy the maritime journey, which is so different from a normal river trip. The water slaps dramatically against the bow and the panoramic windows of the restaurant. Salty spray blows over the wooden planks, container ships pass us, hundreds of cormorants glide low over the Chopin. It is impressive, as is the fact that the water beyond the fairway looks so shallow that you could wade through it. Shortly before midnight, we pass Wolgast and ‘Das blaue Wunder’ stands out against the last streak of light on the horizon like a silhouette. One more drink at the bar and then all the passengers are in bed while the crew sets course for Rügen.