Schiermonnikoog

Schiermonnikoog ('Island of the grey monks') is one of the Frisian islands, an archipelago at the eastern edge of the North Sea that spreads along the coasts of the Netherlands and Germany. On these islands, and along the coasts of both countries, they speak Frisian as opposed to Dutch or German.

(it is the 5th one from the left, not counting the two small dots)


To get to Schiermonnikoog from Groningen, you take a bus to Lauwersoog, then a ferry. The bus arrived at 11:30 and the ferry didn't leave until 1:30. There is nothing in Lauwersoog except one restaurant. We decided that the restaurant was paying the bus company to strand people there.





I had been invited by my friend Zdenek and had in turn invited another friend, Wymer. But at the last minute Zdenek decided to take a later bus. I didn't hear from him until later on. Apparently, they had taken the wrong bus and had no idea where they were going. They never did make it is Schiermonnikoog.



I don't know about these ones, but I was sure I saw Canadian Geese in a field later. Apparently, they were introduced into Northern Europe and have established populations in Great Britain, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Scandinavia.










this is a pheasant!


These are from the inside of an old Nazi bunker...the islands were captured during WWII and the Germans had fortification on all of them to defend the Nothern frontier of Europe. It was pitch black inside and really spooky.




(click to enlarge)