The economic crisis

Local communities here are, like governments everywhere, viscously cash strapped. A few examples in the press recently:

The harsh winter almost bankrupted municipalities attempting to keep the streets clear. Not only the cost of overtime labor and fuel for the plows were problems, but simply getting salt to strew on the roads. However, a new problem has surfaced: what to do with all the gravel put down on the streets for traction (in lieu of the more commonly used sand in the States). Special uses for this material are being sought (i.e. so it can be sold!) - otherwise, the cities are stuck with it!

Here in our city, there have been several projects underway for a few years - a new library/cultural center, an expansion to the castle (which is now used as a museum), renovations to schools and gyms. However, admidst the closing of swimming pools and sports facilities, curtailment of festivals, etc, the city has confessed that it might not be able to outfit these new factilities when they are finished. So perhaps no new books for the library, exhibitions for the museum, equipment for the gyms....

North Sea Vacation

Germans are determined vacationers. Enter a German bookstore, and there may be more shelf devoted to travel guides than there will be to all other non-fiction combined. While warm, sunny, seaside space places like Mallorca and Italy feature prominently in the selection, you can't underestimate the German desire to get to sea, without traveling all that far.

Thus I found myself visiting the North Sea over the recent Easter vacation, with the kids, husband and mother-in-law in tow. We stayed in what is knows as a vacation village (Feriendorf), which was set aside by the local municipality for the purpose of building vacation homes (but which are not run as a resort).

Vacation Village
The village was built up like a little town, around a central playground, and contained a grocery, bike rentals, and best of all - an indoor playground to which we got free entry (by virtue of having payed the Spa Tax). Paths throughout were nicely paved - providing a palette for little girls who wanted to create life-sized princesses.

Wildlife
Being on the North Sea, we of course had to visit the Seal Aid Station, where they tried to rehabilitate injured or helpless seals for re-release into the wild. We watched them being fed, and even got to pet one - albeit one long since no longer wild (or even living for that matter).



The Dike
Like the more famous Dutch coast, the German coast is also heavily fortified against the sea with dikes. These are 7 or 8 meter high berms of grass-covered stone and earth, usually further protected from the waves and storms by stone covered paths on the sea side (Anke on the left). The beach (for bathing is allowed in some areas) appears at low tide as a very long, very flat expanse of fine sand, reached by descending stairs to the sand (see Anke escaping the quicksand below) . Being by far the highest spot in the area, you can see forever from the tops of them - Peter and Anke are here visible with a wind turbine farm in the background.












We were there over Good Friday, which is normally very strictly observed with almost all businesses and shops closing, but in spa locations (that's apparently an official designation), they are exempt to some extent from this rule. This is because, since most visitors to the area (who are the primary economic drivers!) come over holidays, the businesses must be open then in order to survive.

In fact, the region impressed me with the determination entire communities showed to draw in tourists. This was a positive thing. In the US, such vacation destinations spring up, it's rather a casual thing, with the free market (with maybe a little help from the gov't) determining what amenities show up. Here it seemed different - whether it was the subsidized bus system to whisk you around, or the multitude of cheap indoor attractions (it was March, after all), it just seemed like the entire affair had been organized to keep the tourists showing up year-round. So, for example, you could visit the indoor activity center in Norden, or rent beach chairs to protect you from the wicked wind (both visible behind the shivering Anke).

The Weather
Why is Anke shivering? Because it was COLD. And because I vastly underestimated the wind. March at the 53rd Latitude isn't balmy or especially sunny. Add to that the bracing wind that was almost constant - remember those wind turbines in the picture above - and you have conditions that make you wonder WHY these pictures show so many other tourists besides us.

The reason: Germans are tough, determined vacationers. No, really. They work hard, and so by God, they are going to have a good time even if it kills them.










The climate in these communities on the North Sea has a reputation as healthy (sea air)- there were numerous Spas and Saunas catering to people who just wanted to relax as well as to those there for a Kur (a sort of German health-vacation). So despite the weather, there was a healthy number of visitors; I can only imagine it in summer when even the casual vacationers show up. My mother-in-law contends that it gets quite hot there, but I can't imagine ever being warm there with that wind! And even in front of a beach, there is still the fortified walkway (see the kids balancing on the wave-breaking stones), just to keep the beach there!

But on the day you see in these pictures, it was relatively sunny, so despite the risk of chilblains Uschi (the mother-in-law) & I decided to take the children for ice cream. This is another thing about Germans you must understand: They are tough, determined ice cream eaters. Any time is good for ice cream, and as long as it's sunny, they will risk losing toes in order to enjoy their ice cream outside. I respect this, but Uschi and I still decided to sample a local specialty: Grog. That's the kind of Kur you need in that weather.