Insel Föhr

My father's parents left here to start a new life in America.  I've been fortunate to be able to visit several times over the years.  We enjoy seeing family members again (it's very clear we're related!).

The language in the sign isn't (High) German, or Low German (both of which are also spoken on the island).  It's Frisian, which is the closest language to English.  I'm afraid it's not close enough for me to understand, but we did ok with High German.

To get to the island, a small train takes you to the port at Dagebüll, where you catch a ferry to the city of Wyk.  The ferry in the picture is a smaller one that visits outlying islands.

In the twelve years since we've last visited a new museum has opened in the town of Alkersum (where my grandparents came from).  It features works by artists from the north-west Atlantic coast.  The painting in the picture is of my great-grandmother, Käthe Lorenzen (wearing the island's traditional womens' costume).  

Nearby is the Frisian institute, which has a mission to document and disseminate the Frisian language, culture and history.  They have a very pleasant library, and an in-house radio station that broadcasts in Frisian.

We next visited the Frisian Museum in Wyk.  The island was once a huge center for whaling;  many exhibits documented the lives of whaling captains.  The historic house on the grounds, like many on the island, has a thatched roof.

Life on the island proceeds at a pretty restful pace.  This, the sandy beaches, and the lovely scenery, have made it popular with tourists, who help keep the local economy going.  Sunbathers on the beaches inhabit personal wicker shelters (the sand walls many build make them seem a bit like large hermit crabs).  And at the end of the day, you can enjoy a beautiful sunset from the top of a dike.

St. Johannes church in Nieblum (beautifully restored) has the graves of many of my family.

But it was nicer still to get to know the family who still call this home.