*iz tired
Day One of family vacations in St. Peter Ording, a small town on the North Sea. We're staying at Hotel Ambassador, directly on the beach (or it would be directly if there wasn't like 1 km of marshlands and an impossibly big beach and every time we get there, the sea is gone. Yes, I know that's called low tide). Today, heitidei and I went for a two-hour ride on the beach while the rest of the family enjoyed the hotel's spa offers. I'll leave it to you who had the better deal.
Okay, just kidding, I actually really enjoyed the ride (even though my pony apparently had a Thing about his head as he was constantly shaking it...). Cantering along the beach was something of a dream among my sisters and me and I had to wait 20 years to fulfill it (I started with the riding lessons and riding vacations when I was ten, had a major hiatus between 24 and 30 and got back into it in November 2012). Let me tell you, it was all that it was cracked up to be. I managed to stay on the pony's back the entire time (it didn't always look like in the movies, though. Oh wait, it did. If we're talking about slapstick comedies here), even during the canter phases and really what more do I want? Apparently, though, my knees are 20 years my senior. Jesus fucking Christ.
We spent the afternoon at Mutimar-Wattforum, a discovery center about the marshlands and the wadden sea (ie. the North Sea when the sea is gone) and seriously, my family (Mom, Dad, sisters, brother in law, yours truly) are a bunch of ten-year-olds in any scientific hands on center we encounter (and we encounters lots of them. We love them). It's like we all revert back to our kid selves (even my dad, in parts) in the face of touch pools, marine research memory and displays on sustainable fishery. We are either every volunteer's nightmare or every volunteer's dream. I'm not sure.
We also had waffles and cake respectively afterwards because when you spend your vacations on the North Sea, you have to dedicate your afternoon tea/Kaffeezeit to a plate of waffles (also, usually, Rote Grütze with vanilla sauce and/or vanilla ice cream but I'm not sure if we're going to make it this time) at least once. I also had Frisian tea (which you drink in a special way: first sugar (Klüntje/Kandis) into the cup, then tea on top of it, then cream on a spoon and then into the cup. If you do it right, you get the Wölkchen, a little cloud of cream in your tea, then no stirring (Frisians are said to like their tea in layers - first tea, then tea with cream and then sweat tea with cream and Kandis)) which I especially like.
We ended the day with dinner at an Italian restaurant with waiters that actually were Italians and sounded like the worst Italian cliché you can find this side of the Alps but the food was great (I had ravioli alla salvia, just because I love my noodles sauteed in olive oil and sage leaves) and we had lots of fun at the dinner table. (did I mention that it's all about the food with us? I'm sure I did...)
Tomorrow Sylt and I'm curious if it's all that it's cracked up to be or if it's some kind of posh North Sea island wonderland deserted in the kind of weather we are still having (freezing winds, tiny snowflakes, but thank God no more below zero temperatures, or at least not during the day). Never been there before actually so it's hopefully going to be interesting.
Okay, just kidding, I actually really enjoyed the ride (even though my pony apparently had a Thing about his head as he was constantly shaking it...). Cantering along the beach was something of a dream among my sisters and me and I had to wait 20 years to fulfill it (I started with the riding lessons and riding vacations when I was ten, had a major hiatus between 24 and 30 and got back into it in November 2012). Let me tell you, it was all that it was cracked up to be. I managed to stay on the pony's back the entire time (it didn't always look like in the movies, though. Oh wait, it did. If we're talking about slapstick comedies here), even during the canter phases and really what more do I want? Apparently, though, my knees are 20 years my senior. Jesus fucking Christ.
We spent the afternoon at Mutimar-Wattforum, a discovery center about the marshlands and the wadden sea (ie. the North Sea when the sea is gone) and seriously, my family (Mom, Dad, sisters, brother in law, yours truly) are a bunch of ten-year-olds in any scientific hands on center we encounter (and we encounters lots of them. We love them). It's like we all revert back to our kid selves (even my dad, in parts) in the face of touch pools, marine research memory and displays on sustainable fishery. We are either every volunteer's nightmare or every volunteer's dream. I'm not sure.
We also had waffles and cake respectively afterwards because when you spend your vacations on the North Sea, you have to dedicate your afternoon tea/Kaffeezeit to a plate of waffles (also, usually, Rote Grütze with vanilla sauce and/or vanilla ice cream but I'm not sure if we're going to make it this time) at least once. I also had Frisian tea (which you drink in a special way: first sugar (Klüntje/Kandis) into the cup, then tea on top of it, then cream on a spoon and then into the cup. If you do it right, you get the Wölkchen, a little cloud of cream in your tea, then no stirring (Frisians are said to like their tea in layers - first tea, then tea with cream and then sweat tea with cream and Kandis)) which I especially like.
We ended the day with dinner at an Italian restaurant with waiters that actually were Italians and sounded like the worst Italian cliché you can find this side of the Alps but the food was great (I had ravioli alla salvia, just because I love my noodles sauteed in olive oil and sage leaves) and we had lots of fun at the dinner table. (did I mention that it's all about the food with us? I'm sure I did...)
Tomorrow Sylt and I'm curious if it's all that it's cracked up to be or if it's some kind of posh North Sea island wonderland deserted in the kind of weather we are still having (freezing winds, tiny snowflakes, but thank God no more below zero temperatures, or at least not during the day). Never been there before actually so it's hopefully going to be interesting.