Saturday, 25.5.2024

Today we continued to explore the island, and Marlies still recognized a lot of things. Today we walked back to the center with our stick! Our goal was the local museum, but on the way there we passed the old lighthouse. There used to be a small chapel here, but in 1576 the small tower of the chapel was torn down and a higher one built. But in 1857 the "old" lighthouse was built in its place.

Next to the church was the cemetery so that the deceased did not have to travel so far on Judgment Day.

Then we went to the local museum, where Henry wasn't allowed in, so I just did a quick tour. When Marlies was finished, I did another round. The museum has a lot to offer for such a small place. Not only are the skeletons of huge whales to marvel at, but the history of the small island is also revealed, which, like many others, has experienced good and bad times.

The old cistern was found under a demolished house and certainly belonged to a very wealthy family at the time, as it was lined with tiles from Holland to make it easier to clean. According to calculations, it must date from the 17th century.

Here you could also see the explosive harpoons used to kill the whales. A whale could be up to 18 m long and a hunter led 22 trips as a commander. 81 whales were caught, which produced 4005 barrels of blubber and was worth 150,000 guilders. The whaling ships were provided by Holland, but the islanders had better fishing experience, so the ships usually left under Borkum command. Many whalers also took the animals' jawbones and used them to build fences around their property. There are two fences here, but they are also subject to weathering.

On the way we passed the oldest pharmacy in town and the town hall and then found a place where we got crab sandwiches for 10.50 euros each. We also treated ourselves to an ice cream afterwards. I then set off back with Henry and Marlies went to the beach. Finally, after the long walk back home, I lay down on the bed, but sleep quickly overcame me.

Marlies, meanwhile, has completed a mammoth tour. She walked to the ferry port and came back on the little train. She is worried that this will give her sore muscles.

Now we're going to eat something and then we'll end the evening.