The North Sea island of Föhr is very flat; the highest elevation is 43 feet. Since it is also relatively small (32 square miles), you can bicycle around the entire island easily in a few leisurely hours, with stops to look at thatched-roof houses (some dating back to the 1700s!) and dikes and Holstein cows. Föhr and the village of Wyk can be reached by ferry from the mainland Germany at Dagebüll.
During low tide you can walk to the neighboring island of Amrum in ankle-deep water, but at your own risk; the tide can come in very quickly. Fog is another menace. It can quickly surround you, leaving you unsure which direction you came from. Here I am many years ago tempting fate, with the island of Föhr in the background.
If you want to sit on the beach in Wyk, the beach baskets provide shelter from the sun and the wind. You can also sit up above the beach and listen to outdoor concerts played in that little building in the foreground.
I never rode on this little vehicle, but it looks like fun.
The flag you see above is not a Dutch flag flown upside down, but the flag for the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. This was a card my grandmother and great aunt sent just before a big journey with seven suitcases! They may have been coming to visit us in the United States.
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So interesting to see these pictures! One of my maternal great-grandmothers, born in 1864, was from a nearby area on the mainland of Germany, "one day's walk from Kiel," where it is also very flat, plus there are lots of cows.
ReplyDeleteRiding a bike around the island sounds like good fun, until at some point you are facing the inevitable North Sea headwind, maybe then it is time to take a shortcut across the middle and visit with all the livestock shown on the first card. And that is the cutest little Volks-trolley ever, I expect Herr Mickey Maus to poke his head out any minute!
ReplyDeleteOhhhhhh, I must go!!! Next time I go to Germany I'm gonna look this gorgeous little piece of paradise up. Thanks for telling us about this beautiful little piece of the planet!
ReplyDeleteThose beach baskets look like a great idea. I never saw anything like them before.
ReplyDeleteSounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteI've been walked from Pangkor island (a small island of Malaysia) to another small island during low tide, everyone was very execited and the tide will return to normal in noon.
Btw, I like the vintage map postcard
I've always had a thing about islands and this is too neat. Love the notion of being able to walk to the other island. Lucky you:) And tell the cover stealer that I said 'thanks' for the informative architectural low down on thatched roofs. I'd love to see one up upclose....
ReplyDeleteLovely, there is nothing like old postcards for making me want to go places.
ReplyDeleteI WANT THAT TRAM TRAIN!!!
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