Day 10: Carolinensiehl - Ostbense Nordstern - Bensersiehl - Langeoog - Nordstern (22.5 km)

Woke up early, packed up and had breakfast (with a view of the sea - picture😂). A few days ago, I received some plants from a gardener. I repotted them. Then we went to the bus stop and left our luggage at Ostbense Nordstern, our accommodation for today.

A friendly driver from Kazakhstan, very talkative, tells us about his father who was a Nazi officer and spent 20 years in prison under Stalin and came out alive, and his mother, a Volga German who admired German uniforms and that's how they became a couple. Phew, no comment, and luckily the conversation shifts elsewhere.

Arriving at the hotel, we can leave our luggage as agreed beforehand. We decide to walk to Bensersiehl harbor instead - it takes about 45 minutes! First along the road and then turn towards the dike after about a kilometer. It's a good idea because the view is very beautiful and the weather looks promising again, even though it rained overnight.

Already saw a rabbit and a hare, and birds. And another hare!

Here are some pictures for now, see you later.

At the harbor, we buy tickets for the ferry ride and pass the time with a cup of coffee.

As soon as we start walking, to our delight, we see several seals on a sandbank!!! Sorry, insider joke. Seals! Quickly unpack the binoculars we brought - awesome!🦭

Our seat neighbors, a couple on a bicycle trip, can benefit as well. We start talking to them and they give us good tips about bird watching. Time flies by and we arrive at Langeoog.

Overwhelmed by the sight of the island, which seems to be different again! The trees and bushes grow taller here compared to the islands we have visited so far.

Also, the entrance is different. The village is only about 3 kilometers away.

On the vast fields, we spot a lapwing among other birds. That's the one with the mohawk haircut.😆 Later, we hear the robin sing its song from the forest.

The village is very lively. We buy some supplies at the store for the road and a bag to store our clothes on the beach.

We continue walking through the village along the eastern edge towards the east end and turn towards the beach. The end of the island is too far away for us, another 15 km, and we don't have enough time.

On the way, we notice that the colors of the landscape are really different compared to, for example, Amrum. More shades of brown. We also see friendly alpacas, many birds, and cyclists. No cars!

When we reach the beach, we put our clothes into the bag we just bought. We enjoy the sun. The wind is blowing strong.🌬️

After an hour, we refresh ourselves in the sea, drink our sanddorn shot that we brought along, and walk back to the village to catch the train that takes us to the harbor.

It takes as long as it takes. When we reach the mainland, it seems that our last bus to the hotel has already left.

A week ago, this would have irritated us. Now we are in relax mode, we inform the hotel that we will arrive later, and they promise us food and drink. So, let's go, no problem, just a few kilometers!

On the dike, we are accompanied by two playing swallows from the beginning to the end. They always appear just in front of us, performing acrobatic rounds to catch the wind, and then fly back for the next round. What a spectacle, what a joy! We quickly reach the hotel.

They immediately serve us beer and food, and as a highlight, an 'Ossibecher' that we only eat to mention it in the blog. And then we have to check-in, take a shower, watch half an hour of Rolling Stones documentary on TV, and sleep.

So, here is the promised list of birds so far:

• Chiffchaff
• Wren
• Whitethroat
• Skylark
• Reed Warbler
• Oystercatcher
• Redshank
• Robin
• Lapwing
• Cormorant
• Swallow
• Meadow Pipit
• Curlew
• Blackcap
• Cuckoo
• Tern
• Gull
• Magpie
• Pigeon
• Finch
• Blackcap
• Pheasant
• Great Spotted Woodpecker
• Yellow Wagtail
• Ruddy Turnstone
• Tit
• Coot
• Heron
• Starling

___

Woke up early, wrote the last words for the blog, packed everything again and tied it to the cart, Alda also received a plant from a friendly gardener, so it had to be packed specially, had breakfast, and then took the bus (K1 towards Bensersiel).

The bus is on time, we are the first passengers and it is driven by a very nice bus driver from Kazakhstan who tells us that his father was an old Nazi officer who spent twenty years in captivity and because his mother liked his SS uniform so much, they became a couple,phew no comment, luckily the conversation quickly shifts to another topic.

Arriving at the hotel, we leave our cart as agreed and decide to walk to the ferry.

This will be another beautiful introduction of more than 3 kilometers (by now it's a breeze for us) where we see another hare after already encountering a rabbit, nice!

Halfway through the walk, we go along the dike towards the sea, a good decision because the view is beautiful and, as usual, the weather is excellent!

At the harbor, we buy tickets for the ferry and pass the time with a cup of coffee, as soon as we start walking, to our delight, we see a sandbank with several seals!! (Sorry, insider joke) Uh, seals!! And I also had my binoculars ready, absolutely great!!

We start talking to a couple who give us good bird-watching tips, and the crossing is over in no time and we arrive at Langeoog.

Once again, we are amazed at the sight of the island, it's so different from the other islands! The bushes and trees here are taller than on the other islands we've visited.

The entrance is also different, you don't immediately come to a village when you walk out of the harbor, but you still have to walk 3 kilometers.

In the fields, we spot a lapwing and other birds, and as we walk through the forest, a robin sings its song.

The village is lively and we go to the local supermarket to buy a bag for our clothes when we're on the beach and some provisions for the road.

We continue walking through the village and leave through the eastern side towards Ostende, the end of the island, which becomes too far for us, another 15 kilometers away, and we don't have enough time for this hike.

We head towards a beautiful pond and walk towards the beach.

On the way, we notice that the colors of the landscape are really different from, for example, Amrum, much more shades of brown, we also see a few friendly alpacas and of course a lot of birds and cyclists.

When we arrive at the beach, we put our clothes in the bag we just bought and enjoy the sun!

After an hour of sunbathing and a little refreshment, we drink our sanddorn shot that we brought along and walk back to the village to catch the train that takes us to the harbor.

It takes as long as it takes and when we arrive on the mainland, it seems that our last bus to the hotel has already left!

A week ago, this would have irritated us, now we are already in super relaxed mode! So we call the hotel to let them know that we will arrive later, they promise us food and drinks, and we happily walk to the hotel, no problem with the few kilometers left!

On the dike, we are accompanied by two playing swallows from beginning to end, they always appear just in front of us, performing acrobatic rounds to catch the wind and then fly back for the next round, what a spectacle and what a pleasure! We quickly reach the hotel.

Here, they serve us a beer and food right away, and as a crowning touch, an 'Ossibecher' that we only eat to mention it here in the blog, and then we have to check-in, take a shower, watch half an hour of the Rolling Stones documentary on TV, and sleep well.

So, here is the promised list of birds so far:

Chiffchaff

Wren

Reed Warbler

Skylark

Blackcap

Oystercatcher

Redshank

Robin

Lapwing

Cormorant

Swallow

Meadow Pipit

Curlew

Tern

Gull

Magpie

Pigeon

Chaffinch

Blackcap

Pheasant

Great Spotted Woodpecker

Yellow Wagtail

Ruddy Turnstone

Tit

Coot

Heron

Starling