Labskaus '99

"Moin, Moin!"

That's the traditional northern German greeting. O.K., now that I have your attention... .

I suppose you're wondering what the heck Labskaus is. Well, I'm about to tell you.

Welcome to the web page that commemorates my most recent visit to London and to Germany's North Sea coast. I spent a couple of weeks traveling with and being expertly guided by my friends Bernd and Jürgen through the capitol of the U.K. and the Dithmarschen of Schleswig-Holstein. Anyone who has been to London knows that it is simply one of the most entertaining places to visit as well as one of the easiest to navigate. This trip I managed to see some of the things I hadn't in my previous two visits including Madame Tussauds, Kew Gardens, Hampton Court Palace, Greenwich and a day trip to Brighton for a visit and lunch at "Havana" with my pal John. We managed to get tickets to "Beauty and the Beast" at the Old Dominion Theatre on Tottenham Court Road. Skeptic and Disney foe (sorry John!) that I am, I have admit, it was very entertaining and we had great seats. I grew quite attached to the local pub in West Finchley that we rather made our own, "The Ferret and Trouser Leg". Good food, good beer and nice folks. Visit J&K's latest venture Remember the Magic in Arundel.

After our stint in London, we flew to Frankfurt and after a night in Heilbronn, Bernd drove us north through Kassel and Hamburg to his friend Jürgen's hometown of Heide. Now, the German North Sea coast is not on the regular tourist path unless you are a German national. This made the week we spent there even more interesting for me. This is truly an amazing place. Beautiful, clean, windy, cool and flat. Very flat. Standing on land reclaimed from the sea, staring out into the vast gray/green ocean with the wind in your face (if you can keep yourself upright...) you truly appreciate the overwhelming power of the surging tide and crashing waves. All that separates the coastal plain from stormy disaster is a series of grassy dikes and the giant flood control gates on the river Eider. Nothing but earthbanks protect the residents of the Halligen, tiny dots of land which used to be part of the mainland until the 14th century when the storm tides washed in over the marshes. The many resort communities and coastal towns of the North Friesian Islands, the Wattenmeer and the Dithmarschen are lovely to visit. We had the opportunity to stroll, shop and eat our way through Büsum, Husum, St. Peter-Ording, Friedrichstadt, Meldorf and the island of Sylt. Sylt is the northern most point in Germany; beyond the border is Denmark. We also spent a day in the free Hanseatic city-state of Hamburg where I felt obligated to make the most of my visit and add a Montblanc 146 with OBB nib to my pen collection . Hamburg is the the home of Montblanc, rotring and the birthplace of Johannes Brahms. I was also able to pick up the newest Palast Orchester CD "Junger Mann im Frühling" and the Comedian Harmonists CDs "Chantent en Français". It was an unforgettable adventure.

Here are a few photos I took along the way:

London and Environs

Greenwich - Royal Naval Academy/Canary Wharf/Millenium Dome

Hampton Court Palace

Brighton - Palace Pier

Schleswig-Holstein

"Wenn einer eine Reise macht, so kann er 'was erzählen."

Heide - Water Tower

Büsum - Low Tide

The North Sea - High Tide

At the water's edge and over

On Hallig Hooge

Halligen during a "Storm Flood"

Hamburg - Town Hall

The beach on Sylt

I hope you've enjoyed seeing a little of my visit with my friends. Many thanks are due and sent here to Bernd, Jürgen, Jürgens family, brother Dirk, sister-in-law Heidi, their cute little new fella, Eric Wilhelm, and Jürgens lovely mother too. Their warmth and hospitality will never be forgotten. Vielen Dank! Heidi, I'm looking forward to our mutual German and English lessons. Thanks also to John for the tour of the Royal Pavilion and the beautiful seaside town of Brighton. Cheers and Tschüss!

OOPS, I almost forgot to explain "labskaus". It's a traditional dish served on the North Sea coast consisting of something similar to corned beef hash, topped with fried eggs, a sweet gherkin wrapped in pickled fish and red beets. I knew I was in trouble when the waiter served it and announced in German that the "seaman's dog food" was ready... .

Have you visited the Dithmarschen? If so, or if you just have comments to share, click on the quill below and write me.

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