Friday 28th June my friend Vagn and I embarked on a 3-week flying journey in Western Europe. In April this year we did a 3-week tour in Eastern Europe, and reached Romania. This time we didn’t have anything specific in mind, because we learned that the weather might decide otherwise; we just wished to visit some good places, meet nice and inspiring people, and maybe also spend some time on the west coast of France.
Our first stop was Pellworm, an idyllic island in the Wadden Sea National Park north-west coast of Germany. The coastal wetlands on our way:
The flight was easy, and the weather – pleasant:
We overflew the island first. Pellworm lighthouse from 1907:
Pellworm used to be part of a much larger island called Strand. In 1634, a devastating storm hit and the island was broken into three – Nordstrand, Nordstrandischmoor and Pellworm. Since then, Pellworm has thrived as a small farming community.
The island is accessible by a ferry from the mainland, from the Strucklahnungshörn harbour. The Pellworm pier:
The Old Church of St. Salvator is probably the most important sight on Pellworm:
Already in the 11th century there was a place of worship at its present location. Around 1180 the construction of the church began on the same site. One hundred years later, the Gothic tower was built, which, due to its location on unsafe ground, sank further and further over the centuries and partially collapsed in 1611. The imposing tower ruin still shapes the image of the island today. In addition to a late-Gothic winged altar from 1640 and a baptismal font made in 1475, St. Salvator also houses an original Art Schnitger organ from 1711. Organ concerts take place here regularly during the summer months.
Beautiful views were all around the island:
One of the sandbanks we flew over:
After completing the round, we landed in EDHP, a grass airfield owned by Janni and her husband:
Janni welcomed us to the island, completed all necessary documentation in the tower, and showed us the bikes.
We prepared our tent before going for a biking tour:
The fishing harbour of Pellworm, with many fishing boats:
The white terrace far right is a nice restaurant called Hafen Pub. They had a local speciality – crab meat from the catch around the island, and I wanted to try it. I was warned the crabs were very small, and indeed they were!
After dinner, Vagn and I went for a walk around the harbour:
The sun was getting down, and we needed to go back to our campsite.
Our plan for the next day was to fly to Helgoland, a tiny archipelago in the North Sea.
*****
Sources of information I used to write this blogpost:
https://www.shmf.de/en/spielort/alte-kirche-st-salvator-166