Wednesday, June 3, 2009

"Corner View" Beaches in Germany

Warm, blazing sunshine, white sands as far as the eye can see, the constant movement of the waves... in and out, bright colored umbrellas and beach chairs peppering the soft sandy shores, lifeguards looking cool, squinting to read a book, and cooling off in the salty water when you just can't stand the heat anymore... this is what I think of when I think about going to the beach.

... but this is not what I think about when I think about beaches in Germany. The Northern part of Germany is surrounded by two bodies of water, the North Sea and the Baltic sea. When I first moved to Germany, my mother-in-law wanted to take me for a day trip to the North Sea. I was very excited having beaches like Virgina Beach, Myrtle, and Wilmington in mind (Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina), but found the cold, rainy, muddy, day (at least weather-wise) to not be the beach experience that I had imagined.

The North Sea is quite unusual because every six hours the water recedes and then comes back in. The ebbing cycle (when the water goes out) leaves beautiful water formed patterns and mud behind, or "Matsch" in German. You can walk where the water once was and many tourists often take a horse and carriage ride through the "Matsch". Even annual horse racing events are held on the "Meeresgrund" (translated bottom of the sea) .

However, I must say that my idea of going to the beach does not include wearing a winter coat, scarf, boots, gloves, turtlenecks, and everything else one needs to stay warm. This past fall we had friends visit us when they were traveling through Hamburg on the way to the Northern beaches. I sat the whole time wondering if they were really crazy and will remain forever perplexed at why one wouldn't instead travel to a nice warm beach somewhere South... I guess to each his own.

...thanks to my brother-in-law for the great North Sea photos. For more lazy days at the beach, (and hopefully warmer ones) ... visit Jane at Spain Daily.

31 comments :

  1. The first one is really beautiful and the last one make me laught !! Sorry ;) Have a wonderful day.

    ReplyDelete
  2. haha, i recognize it, we went yesterday to our Northseabeach, in Zeeland, but we were lucky with sun, a fine breeze, and a great tide for some sandcastlebuilding.

    but visiting some more exotic corner views makes me longing for some serious traveling.

    My daughter asked me yesterday if there where palmtrees at our sea ;-)

    but a hot chocolatemilk with some whipped cream make's a Northsea visit worthwile, isn't it?

    ReplyDelete
  3. hey allison- wish you could see me smiling. great tour!! don´t worry- warm weather is coming!! un beso-jane

    ReplyDelete
  4. last year i was all excited to see 'big blue' on our North Sea trip, only to discover it was 'big brown'. I've heard that the Baltic is actually blue.

    But I hear you on beach experiences! My fave beaches are in NC, SC, and FL. Although 10yrs of New England beaches makes me looove windy winter days running with a kite on low-tide sand! As usual over here, you have to prep yourself for "different can bring it's own good". But I am dying for a warm beach experience myself! =)

    ReplyDelete
  5. i love the picture of all the footprints !!!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love the ''Nordsee' and after a walk , we go and have some ' bratkartoffel met prawns

    ReplyDelete
  7. I had the same feelings when I went to the beach in Oregon: nothing like the Mediterranean ones I considered "the beach". Still, it must be nice to be able to see the meeresgrund!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Oh dear, it really is much warmer here than in Germany. BUT.....I love the nothern german beaches as well...just to have a walk and feel the cold wind and salty smell. (I'm from Holland remember???....)

    ReplyDelete
  9. great photos..Sometimes I like going to the beach when it's cold. But not always.

    ReplyDelete
  10. wow! Dein Schwager hat wunderschöne Bilder gemacht.Da packt mich doch die Sehnsucht mal wieder ans Meer zu fahren....
    Das man das Wattenmeer als Matsch bezeichnet,das habe ich noch nie gehört...smile....aber du hast ja Recht.

    ganz liebe Grüße
    Ute

    ReplyDelete
  11. hallo,

    ich lese so gerne bei dir, irgendwie entdecke ich dabei oft wie gerne ich eigentlich hier in deutschland lebe und genau diese traditionen kleinen dinge die es ausmachen hier zu leben mag. und zu deinem heutigen post, ich liebe die nordesee, genau so wie auf den fotos muss es sein. man mummelt sich dick ein, sammelt muscheln, atmet den wind und die meeresluft ein. wenn dann das gesicht brennt und die nase und hände eiskalt sind geht man einen heißen grog oder kakao trinken und ist erschöpft und glücklich. so einen tag an der nordsee würde ich nie gegen einen tag am strand mit 30 grad tauschen.

    wie klein die welt doch ist, ich hab festgestellt das du dein atelier in der stadt hast in der wir vor unserem umzug in den süden gewohnt haben:). die franken haben zum glück kaum einen akzent, hier ist nur alles so unglaublich viel langsamer als in hamburg. der verkehr, die ampeln, die verkäuferinnen...irgendwie entspannter.

    schöne grüße aus dem heute mal windigen süden!

    ReplyDelete
  12. love your story and the happy ending !!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Ein wneig kann ich es verstehen. Am Strand muss es wram sein, man muss im Bikini die Sonne auf sich scheinen lassen und die Zeit geniessen.

    Aber ich habe auch die kalten TAge am Strand sehr gerne. Dann wenn die kalte Luft einen umgibt und deine Nasenspitze fast erfriert. :) Aber ich denke das kommt daher, dass ich das regnerische , klate Wetter gewöhnt bin.

    Tolle Fotos!! Liebe Grüsse aus Holland!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I have to admit that my ideal beach would be somewhere I could walk dressed as you describe. I'm not a sun-worshipper, having grown up on the beaches in Belgium and England, and I do love to bundle up and stroll along, gazing out at the water.

    Your pictures took me right back to my childhood - I can so relate to the ebbing tide and the patterns it left on the beach. Thanks for bringing back the memories.

    ReplyDelete
  15. hi allison,
    great pictures! come to tybee if you want warm!!! :-) open invitation!

    ReplyDelete
  16. oh i love the patterns in the sand... so beautiful. i had the same feeling when my family first moved to north cali-not quite as freezing but almost. love your pictures. thanks for the view!

    ReplyDelete
  17. I love the little footsteps, they are so, so sweet!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Horse Racing through the sand looks exciting! The sand patterns are really cool. And I love the last photo. Although, winter coats and hats are not exactly my idea of the beach either. :)

    ReplyDelete
  19. I hear ya. I love these pictures though. They are gorgeous. And that last one is awesome. Also your description of the beach in your mind was perfect. Just what I think too.

    ReplyDelete
  20. cool photos!! and thanks for the bits of education about the shores of germany - and i love the patterns in that sand!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Now, that is a certainly a different take on the beach, isn't it. Do you ever travel South to the beaches? Ever? I see lots and lots of Germans in Italy -- even on the beaches.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Oh these are lovely beaches.. I live 3 blocks from Lake Michigan in the US, but beaches are restful and peaceful wherever they are. Thanks for sharing them on your lovely blog.. xo Joan

    ReplyDelete
  23. I love your photos = they are so much more what I am used to when I think beach! The North Sea or the Atlantic Ocean beaches here in Scotland are frequently grey and windblown. I particularly like your photos of the patterns on the sand.

    I have just joined the corner view group and am so happy this first week was Beach because I love the beach!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Great post, great pictures. I especially like the footprints.
    Interesting corner view, thanks for sharing. I learnt something.

    ReplyDelete
  25. I love the sand pics. It is like art. thanks. xoxo

    ReplyDelete
  26. Such a fun post. Poor Allison... ;)

    ReplyDelete
  27. i know, the north sea is a tough one... my parents live by the sea near cuxhaven. personally, i prefer the baltic sea which seems a bit gentler. my nephews though love the mud of the "watt". kind of like woodstock without the music. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  28. Oh, those are some fantastic photos!! LOVE all of them! So fun to see beaches literally all over the world. Thanks for sharing!

    Happy Day!

    ...Lisa

    ReplyDelete
  29. Very beautiful and interesting pictures... Another way to see the sea...

    ReplyDelete

Your comments are what makes blogging fun for me!

Related Posts with Thumbnails