NORTH SEA SUMMER

I have a problem with museums and art galleries. The moment I walk in through the door I start to feel tired, and by the time I leave I feel more exhausted than I do after cycling 100km. The Klimahaus in Bremerhaven is an exception. Looking across the Weser towards Wilhelmshaven I left the campsite in the morning and cycled along the bank of the Weser river towards Bremerhaven's vast container port, passed by a constant stream of ships heading to the docks. The cycle route weaves through the port and emerges right in the centre of the city between the Tourist Information and the Klimahaus itself.  I asked in the Tourist Info if there was anywhere to leave my bike and they pointed across the piazza and told me to go down into the underground carpark.  The man in the office there saw me coming and pointed to the bicycle park.  I was able to wheel my bike, luggage and all, into a container large enough for two bikes which cost just 1 euro for the day.  Just imag...

Full moon at sunset - Hookseil Fedderwarderseil was the first of a series of 'seils' or sluices that I came to around this part of the coast of Frisland. Back in 1903, when 'The Riddle of the Sands' was published, the 'seils' were tiny hamlets inhabited by very few people - farmers, fishermen and the people who maintained the sluices. Today they have turned into seaside resorts where holidaymakers can enjoy the bracing atmosphere of the Wattenmeer. There is, as I have mentioned before, not a lot of sand to be seen, and often it appears to be imported to create a small beach oasis in the mud. To the west of Feddeerwarderseil is the large bay where the River Jade enters the sea. On the far side is the port of Wilhelmshaven, where the German battle fleet was based in WW1. The Jade bay has the deepest water on the North Sea coast of Germany. There was rumoured to be a ferry across the bay between Eckwarderhörne and Wilhelmshaven but I had heard ( I can't r...