18.06.2022 Saturday The return journey and memories

The vacation is over

We arrived home safely. Our ferry left at 11:50 a.m. We arrived on the mainland at 12:40 p.m., and we made good progress until the Elbe Tunnel. But then we were stuck in a mega traffic jam for 1.5 hours. I definitely bit the steering wheel once. And to Gisela's dismay, Gabi and I smoked a total of three cigarettes in the car with the window down. Wow, the traffic jam really took its toll. Then there was another traffic jam near Bremen, but we managed to avoid it. After dropping off Gisela and Gabi at home, I was happy to be home at 8:00 p.m. And guess what? Last time we forgot to empty Gabi's dirty laundry bag, and this time it was the cool bag! Long live chaos!

We saw a lot of flowers on Föhr, which are now summarized with the photos. The many planted stone walls are impressive. Simply beautiful. The nature and vastness of the small island were simply beautiful. Unfortunately, there is a lot of construction activity for tourists, and eventually the island will be overrun like Sylt and much of what we experienced will disappear, even though organizations are trying to counteract it. The main source of income is tourism, and in the end it will win and destroy paradise.

We constantly saw the oystercatchers. The black and white birds with their red legs and long, pointed beak are everywhere. Despite their name, they cannot crack oysters. However, they do crack shells and crabs. If necessary, they throw them on a solid surface, such as a stone, and then crack them open with their beak. So these little creatures are not dumb at all. They also eat lugworms, earthworms, insects, and snails. What is impressive is their loud squawking, which can be heard during the day and at night. Depending on the water level, they are also active at night to search for food in the mudflats. The oystercatcher is a characteristic bird of the island. It is 45 cm tall and weighs about 700 grams. The age estimates vary between 20 and 35 years. Egon and Mathilda were regularly guests on the neighboring house, and it was nice to watch the two birds sitting together, as oystercatchers are monogamous and raise their offspring together. They are ground nesters, and surprisingly, the young leave the nest as soon as they hatch and their feathers are dry, and then they are fed by their parents for six weeks. And since I saw Egon and Mathilda every day, I miss their loud calls a little now, as it was nice to see them again and again.

But now we are back home, and I'm delighted by how much is blooming in my garden. A big thank you to Gabi and Gisela, who contributed to making it a very enjoyable vacation where we laughed a lot, experienced a lot, and admired a lot. It was great with you.