Days 24-30: Off to the Island - Sylter Kliffs, Helgoland and Relaxation

After a delicious breakfast, we relaxed and headed towards Lübeck train station. The weather was cloudy again and when we arrived in Kiel, it was drizzling. So, just a quick coffee for Jörg at the station. Next stop was Husum, where we had more time and visited a small, cute café (bakery). They even had vegan muffins on offer. On the way back to the train station, it started drizzling again. Quickly on the train and off to the island! Along the coast, we saw many sheep, some wind turbines, and a few solar panels. Somehow, we should be able to generate energy from rain too... In the early evening, the sun was shining again and we reached our small, cozy accommodation in Tinnum. There was a bakery around the corner and a denn's organic market around the bike corner, so we had everything we needed. The weather for the next few days was forecasted to be alternately cloudy, but at least: no rain! Now, finally, time to relax! We still rode our bikes daily, but without luggage and on shorter routes (about 20 km per day). Our first trip took us over the dike around the Rantum Basin towards Rantum, where it was quite windy ('Holländischer Berg'). From there, we rode back up behind the dunes, with beautiful sunshine, rose hips, and heather. However, always remember to carry your spa card! Nevertheless, we reached the beach where we watched the kite surfers in action. The next day was Janina's birthday! Apart from relaxing on the couch, we planned a trip to the Morsum Kliff. There was a beautiful heathland and cliffs ranging from white to brown-red to admire. The following day, we visited Kampen (meeting point for the rich and famous) and the red cliff as our destination. Unplanned, we romantically watched the sunset there. On the next Sunday, the weather was beautiful and sunny, and we had the Westerland bathing beach on the program. Jörg was initially unsure about the temperatures, but quickly realized how much fun a few waves can be. To conclude, a seagull visited us, providing a beautiful photo opportunity on the beach chair.

The next morning, our last day of vacation, Jörg had something special planned: a trip to Helgoland! Since Jörg, as an old Föhr islander, had been there several times, but Janina, as an island hopper, had not, it was considered a suitable birthday present. So we took the bus to the southern tip of Hörnum, where the ship was waiting for us. At half past nine, we sailed off with the Adler-Cat (the catamaran of the Adler-Schiffe company) and had about 2 hours of calm sea journey, with a stopover at Amrum. On Helgoland, the ship docked directly at the pier, there was no need to disembark with dinghies (unfortunately!). The first thing that caught our attention were the lobster stalls, colorful small houses with various shops inside. These are former sheds and workshops of the fishermen. However, we wanted to go to the Lange Anna (Nathurn Stak in Frisian), so no time for strolling! We first walked about 50 m uphill across the "Mittelland" to the "Oberland", then continued along the cliff path past the lighthouse. There we saw the "Lummenfelsen", but at this time of the year, no guillemots were nesting (which look a bit like penguins), but rather white northern gannets. Both seemed unlucky with their name. Quite a lot was happening on the rocks! It was constantly flying and chattering. The guillemots were hardly impressed by the tourists, and we got very close to the birds. Although the front area of the cliffs was fenced off, the birds were not interested in that when looking for a nesting place. The birds didn't look as close as if they had a wingspan of 170 cm. We could discover such information and more on the signs along the way. From there, it was not far to the Lange Anna, a high surf cliff made of typical red sandstone. We took the usual photo stop there and then continued along the island loop path. In the northeast, we could now see a bomb crater on the Oberland, a soccer field on the Unterland, and in the distance, the second island 'Düne'. Now we slowly descended. We looked into a few souvenir shops (there used to be a lot more shops and stalls), Jörg bought a fish sandwich at the lobster stalls (watch out for seagulls!), and finally, we had a coffee. We spent the return journey on the deck of the ship in the fresh air, with a bit more swell, but that didn't stop Janina from falling asleep. Around 6 pm (with about 4 hours on Helgoland), we were back on Sylt. It was a very nice trip, a great gift, but not an island for a permanent stay: cycling is prohibited on Helgoland ;-)

The next morning, we had to check out early and spent the morning in downtown Westerland. The last postcards were written and sent, then around noon, we headed to the train station. Another great vacation! We were already looking forward to the next one :-)))