Netherlands/Germany Trip - Norderney      2nd June:

    We had a visitor early in the morning, a lady from Walton-on-the-Naze, who was sailing with her husband to the Baltic. She had bumped into Rex near the harbour master's office. They had sailed up behind us into Norderney. However, the couple did not have any paper charts for the Elbe estuary, so she came across to photograph ours with her iPad. We shared a joke or two before she disappeared off, and a few minutes later they waved to us as they headed out to sea.
    We too were heading off, but we badly need diesel, so we slipped our lines and went across to a commercial quay where a diesel pump was situated. We arrived, and spotted the sign "Closed on Sundays." This put a dampener on our spirits; we daren't proceed without a good supply of diesel. Thus, dejected, we returned to the berth we had just left, and I booked us in for one more night.
    I was cheered somewhat by the sight of a bunch of lads racing along the commercial quay, some on foot and others on bikes, singing "What shall we do with the drunken sailor?"
    We did a food shop in scorching heat, and then set off to town for an explore. German nobility discovered this special place early on and in 1797 Norderney became first a summer residence for the Royal House of Hanover, then an official retreat for the Kingdom of Prussia. Over the years famous personalities such as Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, composer Robert Schumann and writer Franz Kafka have visited Germany's first health resort on the North Sea.

Typical Residential Buildings in Norderney

View from the Sea Front

    The town comprised a few main drags where cafes, bars and restaurants congregated, and provided havens for the hordes of tourists who were all too eager to escape the sun. Most of the streets leading off from these havens comprised residential properties, holiday flats and hotels. We took a street which led out to the sea front. Here we sat for a while gazing out to sea, watching tourists walking the vast sandy beaches spread before us. Surprisingly nobody was swimming. Rex reckoned the sea temperature here was colder than that in the UK. Yachts plied their way along the inshore channel.

Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial

    We strolled a while past the Schlafstrandkörben (elaborate basket-like covered deck chairs), and headed back into town. I wanted to see the pyramid of stones that was the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial, built in 1898 to commemorate the reunification of 1871 and to Kaiser Wilhelm I (the Great). The idea of the memorial was first raised by pastor Weber from Mönchengladbach on Sedanstage 1889. Endorsed by the Kurparlament, the advocacy group of Norderneyer Kurgäste, the project was transferred to the bathing administration and the municipality.
    A first draft was provided by Paul Wallot, builder of the Reichstag building in Berlin. This plan provided for the construction of a monument on the promenade, in extension of the Bismarckstraße, but failed because of the high cost. The final design was provided by the sculptor Georg Küstardt from Hanover.
    75 German cities, provinces donated stones, which were put together by the construction company Gebr. Küstardt, Hildesheim, into an obelisk. The north side was adorned with a bronze bust of Kaiser Wilhelm I, the tip was decorated by a Prussian eagle, and anchorage chains from the naval arsenal in Kiel were used for the enclosure. Bust, eagle and the plaque "From the rock to the sea" were removed from the monument in 1917 as a metal donation for armament purposes. In 1938, the municipality Norderney donated a seagull for the free space of the imperial bust. 61 stones are marked with the name of their place of origin.

Conservationshaus

    We then paid a visit to the Conversationshaus, the old spa building. The town had been a spa town since 1797, and it was celebrating 222 years of history. The Conversationshaus is one of a number of well-preserved buildings belonging to the so-called "Bäderarchitektur". It's less an architecture type than a crossover of styles from the Neoclassical, Art Deco and Gründerzeit eras, typical of German seaside resorts. The building had a "facelift" in 2008, and now houses the tourist office and public library.
    We walked through the impressive historic facades of the building via a glass-covered foyer, and lo and behold, there was an art exhibition inside. We took time out to wander around the exhibition before enjoying a civilised drink on the terrace overlooking the Kurplatz. Rex stuck to his favourite, English breakfast tea, and I enjoyed peppermint tea - very refreshing.
    An oversize German couple plonked themselves in front of us, with a black flat-nosed pug in tow. The poor creature hung out his long tongue and panted for dear life. The heat was badly affecting the poor dog; sadly his owners appeared oblivious to his state.

Everything Stops for Tea

Imperial Post Office from 1892

    We walked back to the marina for a rest and shower, passing countless rabbits on the way, which outnumber the two-legged islanders by 5:1. The fluffy animals were first brought to the island in 1620 as hunting prey for the German nobility.
    Once rested and showered, I thought it high time we had a candid talk. I had noticed Rex was slowly winding himself up over the last week, and suggested we ought to talk about it. He was concerned that our progress was not as quick as anticipated, the weather and tides conspiring against us. As we pushed further east, he told me it was like "pushing a heavy chain up a hill." I could read his concern that we perhaps would not be able to meet our objective. I discovered at the beginning of the trip that his wife had only given him a five week pass. On top of that we may have to take a week out to travel back to the UK on public transport for a friend's funeral. In addition, the sail back from our destination would be more arduous due to travelling back into the teeth of the winds. So I told the lad that I thought we did not have enough time to make it to Denmark, and if we did get there, we would have to return almost immediately. I expressed my view that not reaching Denmark was not an issue with me, and as far as I was concerned it is the journey that matters to me rather than the destination. On hearing this Rex changed completely, it was as if a heavy weight had been taken off his shoulders.
    So, we evolved a plan to return back to the UK, spending more time at favourite haunts in Holland. The bonus of course would be if we did get details of the funeral plans, it would be fairly easy to get to Schiphol.
    We returned back to town in the evening. It was noticeably quieter on a Sunday evening. We, and probably a hundred others, enjoyed Norderney Pilsner at a small bar on the sea front. All the benches were packed, and the overspill sat on grassy banks and the promenade, enthusiastically chatting away. A meal in town rounded off the day.