It's Spring of 2010, and here we were again! The fresh air of the North Sea beaconed and once more we set off to the island of Sylt. We took the train from Frankfurt straight on to Sylt (Westerland) with a single change in Hamburg. Though the journey took us almost 8 hours to get there, it was nevertheless more bearable for the kids (and thus less taxing) for the parents. There was no continuous whining of "are we there yet", which we normally would be bombarded when we drive. It was as blissful a trip as one would hope for with two little children.
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| A breathtaking view of the north sea |
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| Taking a break, soaking in the sun |
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Taking a walk on the dike connecting
Rantum to Westerland |
One common view on Sylt were the ubiquitous Strandkorbs (German word for beach baskets). They were specially designed to protect users from sun, rain, wind and sand on beaches. Thought to be invented by a German basket weaver in 1882, due to their popularity they sometimes find their ways into normal gardens and backyards. In Summer, the beach will be entirely packed with them, but in Spring (like right now), they were just begging to be used!
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| Strandkorbs in a row |
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| More Strandkorbs on the beach for rental |
Thatched houses are very popular on Sylt. It is a very traditional roofing method and is the choice for a majority of house owners here, those desiring a rustic and more ecological friendly roof. We were naturally extremely delighted by them. In the beginning, we were disappointed with the ordinariness of the architecture (or the lack of it) in Westerland (where most high rise buildings were found) but as we move away, we found the island littered with these enchanting thatched "cottages".
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| A typical house with thatched roof |
