I’m not the only one who likes to travel. My girlfriend (who I met in Colombia, South America) does too. When she can’t get away for a very long time, or her resources are low, she will settle for a trip of a few days in-country: which, in this case, means Germany. So, we set off for a few days on the island of Spiekeroog in the North Sea, just about six kilometers off the coast of the mainland.
A one-hour ferry from Neu Harlingersiel takes us to the island. It is drizzling and about as miserable as it was back where we started. I hope we haven’t made a mistake.
We find our hotel and, afterwards, start out to dinner and then one of the vast beaches-where the sunset is just about in progress.
We don’t realize it immediately, but a large double-rainbow arches behind us. We spend the next several minutes taking photos.
After the rainbow, we walk along the beach towards the sea. The firm ridges on parts of the beach are supposed to be the habitat of special worms called lugworms, locally known as “Wattwurms”. They have coiled casings and are particularly big for worms-some growing in excess of five inches long. They tend to dig under the sand and are used mostly as fishing bait. Of course, we don’t see any.
On the way back to the hotel, however, we witness a snail parade. These two must not have known each other or they are on the outs with one another, as they pass each other without comment or curiosity.
The next morning, we go to explore some of Spiekeroog. Our first stop is the church, which (as far as I know) is just called the “Old Island Church”. Old it is, as it was built in 1696. The tombstones in the yard here are, understandably, mostly where the bones of shipbuilders, sailors, and sea rescue folks rest.
Walking around the village, we also see the Town Hall, the “Old Island Home”, and a lot of interesting statues and totems. I have no idea what this one is supposed to represent.
The “Pferdebahn” is a fascinating concept. Two horses lug a carriage on rails past the mire to the dunes and beaches. On this day, we prefer to walk.
And walk, we do. First, past the bogs to the rescue house (now converted into a pony rental place). We have some close encounters with some of the ponies…whose cousins are happily grazing in the mire.
Next, we pay a brief visit to the island’s Kurpark. Not much here, except for more inexplicable totems.
After dinner, we head out again to meet one of Spiekeroog’s main attractions: the Utkieker statue on an overlook hill. He is naked, skinny, and tall. The views are nice, though.
We return to our hotel through the grassy side of the dunes, meeting a long-eared gray rabbit, who looked a little the worse for wear. It was just as surprised to see us as we were to see it.
Day three on Spiekeroog merits a closer inspection of the Old Island Church-particularly its interior. Inside is a renaissance pulpit, a ship model hanging from the ceiling, some sea-themed stained glass windows, and (of particular interest and controversy) a Madonna said to have been rescued from a Spanish Armada ship that ran aground off Spiekeroog in 1588. In any event, we enjoy the tour given by the visiting rector and the free concert played on the modern church organ.
We also decide to give the Pferdebahn a go. Eddy (I think it was Eddy) takes us (for a fee) through the dunes and mire, past the lazy bum horses, and pheasants galore (like chickens in Hawaii, they run rampant here).
We reach a new beach (“Gentleman’s Beach” is, at least, new to us) that is seemingly endless. First we walk towards the sea, then close to the dunes, where we lay down on beach blankets for a while.
We arrive just in time to catch the Pferdebahn for the return trip past the grazing ponies and pheasants. Well done, Eddy.
Our dinner at Sir George’s Pub is unexceptional; but the chocolate and strawberry mousse dessert we have at the Vingh Restaurant is exquisite.
The only post-prandial excursion we make tonight is to a small cemetery where the mostly immigrant victims of an 1854 shipwreck are buried. The ship was called the “Johanne”, and it sank in bad weather just off Spiekeroog in November of that year. The Johanne was a bit like the Titanic in that it sank on its maiden voyage. An anchor and cross erected on a pile of stones is the only monument here.
We pay attention at breakfast on our final day in Spiekeroog. The residents of Spiekeroog drink a hell of a lot of tea, and no more so than during breakfast. The tea is usually black, is served with a lump or two of rock sugar (kluntje) and a little cream (wulkje), and is poured from and into elaborately-decorated teapots and tea cups. The tea is not stirred. It is left to find its own consistency. This tea-drinking practice is so pervasive here that UNESCO has recognized the “East Frisian Tea Service” (that means Spiekeroog) as an World Heritage Intangible Culture-whatever that means.
Next, we proceed to a forest that is part of the Wattenmeer National Park. But this is not just any regular forest, it is one inhabited by fairies (or at least statues of fairies). Although the walk is pleasant enough, we don’t spot a single fairy or fairy statue-especially near the pond which they are said to frequent. Guess they must be shy.
Our path takes us once more to the dunes (Spiekeroog is an island, after all) and a fantastic overlook. We can see just about everything on the island from up here: birds, the lazy bum horses, and even the Spiekeroog ferry.
On the way to the Nature Museum, we pass the Hermann Lietz School that has an interesting sculpture in front of it.
Although it is small, the National Park Haus Wittbulten has a lot of information about the island, and almost every exhibit is interactive in some way. You could learn a lot about Spiekeroog by spending a good part of the day here. There is a pretty nice aquarium here, too. We are particularly interested in the crab.
A crab has served as a guide on our walk here today.
Finally, we return to the beach to say goodbye-trying out the swings, which is our tradition.
Once back on the mainland, we have to wait over an hour for our bus back home, so we use the time to walk around Neu Harlingersei a bit. Neu Harlingersei is a resort and spa town in its own right, with a long and colorful history. But it is mostly famous for its fishing and its port; and it would take more than that to prolong our stay here.
Spiekeroog, despite our doubts, was a few days well-spent. We both loved the quaint and spread-apart village (also named Speikeroog) as well as the beaches and sunset walks through the dunes. Maybe we’ll return some day…but it will always be a gamble with the weather.
Muscial Finale: “Die Trauminsel-Spiekeroog”-Benjamin Cocks