The bear that saved the village

My Mom and I had been spending a few days on the shores of East Frisia where our family roots lie. As my mother's memory is ever so slowly wandering into forgetfulness we try jogging her brain every so often by visiting places she already knows and remembers. We had a good time with tons of seafood (and shrimps even twice) and she still knows her way around in the kitchen.

We had booked an apartment in ESENS, my mom's birth place. The town's heraldic animal is the bear. In medieval times the former moated and fortified city was besieged by enemies who had cut all supply routes in order to starve the inhabitants. But shortly before surrendering a bear, owned by a traveling musician, freed himself, climbed the walls and angrily threw rocks around. The opponents concluded that if the city had enough provision to even feed a bear, it would take too long to wait for them to die from starvation. Hence, they broke the siege and the village was saved by the bear.

The church where Mom got baptised and married. 

Mom's family home

We also went to the beach but the tide had an unfortunate timing... the water was never there. At least we had pretty nice albeit chilly weather.

Bensersiel

Neuharlingersiel

End of Summer Blues (NOT!) - Wehmut zum Ende des Sommers, ist nicht!

By the time you read this it's cold and grey, cloudy and rainy outside and my initial thoughts were: YES! FINALLY! Sorry, but for me summer had been going on too long. Usually we never had to worry about water shortage, but 2020 had been the second (or third?) year of long dry periods and long hot spells. Phreatic and reservoir water levels sunk to an all time low, wells had fallen dry. Vegetation, especially our forests suffered greatly through this period of drought, although contrary to other places (California...) we were spared from larger wild fires. Weather-wise Germany might slowly be turning into Tuscany before it becomes a desert, or so it seems.

Während Ihr das hier lest, schaue ich nach draußen, es ist kalt und grau, bewölkt und regnerisch, und ich denke mir: NA, ENDLICH! Tut mir ja leid, aber für mich war der Sommer lang genug. Ich kann mich nicht daran erinnern, dass wir hier mal über Wassermangel klagen mussten, aber mit der zweiten (dritten?) Hitzeperiode und Trockenheit sanken Grundwasser- und Talsperrenspiegel auf einen historischen Tiefstand und Brunnen fielen trocken. Die Pflanzenwelt, besonders die Wälder, litten unser der Dürre, auch wenn wir das Glück hatten, hier von größeren Waldbränden (wie Kalifornien) verschont geblieben zu sein. Wettermäßig scheint sich Deutschland inzwischen in die Toskana zu verwandeln, und danach in eine Wüste?

Our last days at the coast were getting a bit nippy but the sun was still shining and presented Greetsiel, the most beautiful fishing village in the region, located on the northwest tip of Germany opposite to the Netherlands, in its best light.

Es wurd zwar in den letzten Tagen etwas frischer an der Küste, aber die Sonne blieb uns treu und setzte die verträumten Fischerorte in bestes Licht, so auch bei unserem Spaziergang durch Greetsiel, dem wahrscheinlich schönsten Fischereihafen in Ostfriesland, gelegen an der Nordwestspitze von Deutschland, gegenüber von den Niederlanden.

 

A trip to Neuharlingersiel, another fishing harbour.

Ein Ausflug nach Neuharlingersiel, einem weiteren Fischereihafen/-ort.

 

 

A visit of beer headquarter, the city of Jever, plus Jever castle famous for its free roaming peacocks. 

 

Ein Besuch in der Bierbrauhauptstadt Jever und des Jever Schloss', welches für seine freilaufenden Pfauen berühmt ist.

 

Typical regional culinary options include all kind of seafood: soused, pickled or smoked herring, salmon, mackerel and crab in a bun or in a (cream) sauce at your choice.

Typische kulinarische Genüsse haben dort natürlich mit Fischspezialitäten zu tun: eingelegte, saure oder geräucherte Heringe, Lachs, Makrele und Krabben, wahlweise im Brötchen oder gern auch in Sahnesoße.

And plenty of cake variation...

Und natürlich Kuchen im Überfluss...

It was a great and relaxing vacation with my Mom, and did us both good spending some quality time together after all the quarantine restrictions. 

Tolle, entspannte Ferien mit Mom gehen zu Ende. Es tat uns nach den ganzen Corona-bedingten Quarantäneregeln richtig gut, mal ein bisschen Zeit miteinander zu verbringen.