The travels between space and time

Where the seawind is at home

"My East Friesia, my homeland,
where the high dikes are
is the home of my ancestors,
I am an East Frisian child."

I can still hear my grandmother's voice and picture her singing this song full of love and passion. As she walked through the hallway, buttoning her colorful apron, a smile spread across her face. It seemed to me as if she felt the words and their melody deep within herself and became one with this song.
A gentle breeze always blows across the fields and meadows of East Frisia. Black and white cows graze peacefully in the pastures, while sheep graze on the dikes. Rivers meander through the flat land, following the tides. They are lined with dikes designed to protect the land from flooding. Their destination is the North Sea. However, when the water bows to nature and retreats, it reveals a new face. For a few hours, the waves fall silent, revealing the mudflats, which were declared a World Heritage Site in 2009.

In good weather, you can see the islands from the mainland, which can be reached by ferry or with experienced mudflat guides. In the past, luggers sailed past here, out to sea, shaping life along the coast. The days of the great herring boats are over. Only the small shrimp boats still tell the stories of life at sea. They still sail out today, anchoring in the small fishing villages with their freshly caught cargo.

I've spent my entire life here in East Frisia, but it wasn't until I left my hometown in 2016 that I realized how deeply connected I am to the land, its people, and its traditions. Sometimes you only learn to appreciate something when you no longer take it for granted. Homesickness called me back to the coast, where my grandparents and great-grandparents spent their lives. Now I want to rediscover and experience it in all its beauty and diversity!