While staring at my computer screen I had a spontaneous inspiration, I long for the Wadden Islands. Get away from it all, leave the tension of the past few weeks on the island and return to the mainland with a full battery. I checked the weather forecast for the coming weekend and, just to be sure, our joint calendars. My heart made a little leap at the idea that we could just spend this weekend on Schiermonnikoog!
Shall we just do it? Corona or not, I yearn for a weekend of rest with my loves. The children deserve it too, they are getting through the corona period so well and then they also have two parents who work an awful lot. At first I still felt a little guilty, is it wise? Can we make it to go to an island now while the corona virus is still active. Is anything open at all? A quick check on the Internet confirmed what I was secretly hoping for, Schiermonnikoog gladly welcomes its tourists.
Just the idea that we might sail into the sun on Friday made me happy. We just do it, we earned it and it’s also our 10th wedding anniversary and Mother’s Day.
I call our favorite apartment complex, Boersma’s apartments if they still have a spot for four people and a dog. Pip is very welcome here, which is a definite plus when we go away for a weekend as a family. In addition, Boersma’s Apartments is located right in the center, and with any luck you’ll have a view of the park. With a private terrace, you can enjoy breakfast outside in the sun and drink wine in the evening. I decide to book right away and the anticipation can begin! I call Sytze to also inform him of our surprise weekend, he too is excited and also ready for some rest. The kids happened to be at my fabryk and I couldn’t keep the surprise to myself any longer, the result? They jumped a hole in the air! Oh yes mom! The rest of the day they were super sweet and even willing to do some chores for me 😉
Off we go! Because only two boats go out each day, we can’t board until 3:30. Still, we set out nice and early to be assured of a ticket. Booking online was not an option due to the corona virus. Since we really wanted to make the crossing and didn’t want to risk missing the boat, we were already in line for a boat ticket at a quarter past two. It is not crowded with tourists, yet there are quite a few families who probably had the same thought as us. Since we still had to wait quite a while, Elise and I decide to walk to the port of Lauwersoog. We chat pleasantly and enjoy the sun and the boats in the harbor. To start the mini-vacation right, we take fresh kibbeling back to Sytze and Brent who were guarding our suitcases. Nice and cozy, sitting on our suitcases we enjoy country’s best kibbeling. Once on board, though, it was a crazy sensation. All seats are screened with Plexiglas screens and you also cannot use the catering.
Once on the island we take a cab to the apartment, normally we go by bus but for this you had to order a ticket online. And well, I really hadn’t thought about this for a moment!
Once I arrive at the apartment, I only notice how tired I actually am. The past few weeks have taken a lot out of us, not only mentally but physically as well. Before the neighborhood grocery store closes its doors, we quickly get the essentials for the first night and breakfast for the next morning.
The children would prefer to go directly to the sea, but we “oldies” want to recover first. We drink and drink and toast to the weekend ahead. Once we are settled in and Pip has also found her place we pack and head for the coast. We rented bikes from Soepboer bike rental and Pip has a super deluxe cargo bike in which we will transport her for the next few days.
As soon as I feel the wind through my hair again, it is a feeling of coming home. Since childhood, Schier has been my favorite island next to Vlieland. Once I arrive at the beach and see two elated children and a dog running in front of me, a feeling of love and also a bit of melancholy overwhelms me. Everything is so grand and expansive, as far as you can see you see only water and beach. Because we are practically the only ones on this part of the beach, that feeling is very intense. Everything I love and live for I carry with me.
Brent and Elise took a chance, the waves too appealing not to go all the way in. Screaming with cold and fun, they entertained themselves for quite a while until it was really time to go back to the cottage. On the way, we get another artisan ice cream at Ambrosijn’s because, of course, this is part of a mini vacation. That evening we were all in our beds before ten o’clock. Tired and worn out from the sea air. Sytze left in no time, I write some more in one of my notebooks I always carry. The bedroom window is open and I can hear the murmur of the sea. This is a sound you only hear at night when it is windless. It is wonderfully soothing, so it doesn’t take long for me, too, to leave.
It had been on my wish list for some time, I really wanted to design a collection on the theme of the Wadden Islands. For several months we had been working on this but due to the corona crisis that suddenly erupted in all its intensity, it had temporarily become less of a priority. But now that we were on the island ourselves, the desire also came back to finally finish this collection and give it the credit it deserves.
And where can you get more or better inspiration than on the island itself? On Saturday morning, Elise and I felt like visiting the stores. Never do I take the time anymore to go to a city at my leisure for a day of shopping. This morning we do take our time! It is still too chilly to go to the beach anyway, and we have the whole day ahead of us.
We start at ‘T Wente, a lifestyle store with various brands in the middle and upper segments. Here I pick out a beautiful necklace that the kids give me for and on Mother’s Day. I personally buy a matching ring from the Qoss brand with it. It is a special ring with part silver and part leather and a beautiful blue stone. This matches very well with the necklace of the same brand.
Then we will continue to “Color by the Sea” a lifestyle and fashion store with well-known and lesser-known brands. You get very greedy here because of all the beautiful products and the atmosphere the store exudes. If, like me, you love “hippie-chic” then you have definitely come to the right place. Here I buy two new sets for summer some bandanas for my hair. Since I can’t go to the hairdresser for weeks and have mega outgrowth this is the ideal solution. In addition, it also looks nice and fresh in summer.
Not all the stores were open, so we decide to go back to the apartment for lunch and then a brisk bike ride with the ultimate goal of the sea. It is my body that has been working against me for quite a while, the fibromyalgia diagnosed a few years ago has been playing up in all its intensity for the last few months. This is why I ride an electric bike, this is so wonderful and gives you the feeling of freedom and never a headwind!
Bringing a bag of goodies and a good book, who cares on the mud flats. Since the wind by the sea is quite strong today, we decide to go to the small lake. Birch Lake is hidden among the trees and has a small island in the middle of the water. The children and also the dog enjoy this place to the fullest. Meanwhile, I’m working out some more ideas for our wadden collection. For example, I would really like to print the contours and streets of the islands on dibond. That way you always have your favorite island close by. The islands can be ordered separately or as a set of all the wadden islands.
In addition to this collection, we are also working on geometric lighthouses so characteristic of the islands. They are also all very different from each other and are incredibly distinctive. Did you know that Vlieland’s lighthouse is the very smallest and is also called the Red Goblin? Schiermonnikoog has no less than two lighthouses, one of which is still in operation. Namely, the red lighthouse. The white lighthouse stands in the village and has long served as a water tower. Now this tower is used only as a transmitter mast.
We order our dinner this beautiful Saturday evening from Lady Jakoba, a catering cum delicatessen store. The food is surprisingly good and we feast immensely. Sytze went for meat and I chose a mix of fish dishes. There was more than we could eat, even though we are really good eaters. After dinner, the children decided to once again get our dessert at the ice cream parlor. Oh well, it’s vacation ahead. We take another long evening walk through the village and back via the beach. We watch All you need is Love in the evening with each other and with red-faced faces. The mudflat air does us, and Pip as well, good. Pip is snoring on her rug, a weekend at Schiermonnikoog is intense and tiring for her too!
Sunday morning the weather is still beautiful at first, but it is not long before the sky becomes overcast and the wind picks up. If we still want to, we have to ride our bikes now! While cycling along the dike, the headwind is enormous, it doesn’t bother me much on my electric bike but Sytze and the kids puff and groan. Despite the wind, the scenery is enchantingly beautiful, we see birds and chicks and a flock of oystercatchers happily flies a short distance with us. One last time this weekend we bike to the sea, a large group of kitesurfers take advantage of the wind and fly meters high through the air. We enjoy the surfers and the strong wind! This is literally blowing out!
It’s time to pack up our things and head home again; for a moment it occurs to me to book another night. It’s so wonderful here and I’m not done with it yet. Unfortunately, our schedule does not allow it and also the children have to go back to school the next day.
Schier proves that even in corona time it is good to be on the island. It is unfortunate that the terraces are not open, but the local hospitality industry does everything possible to make its guests comfortable. Once back on the boat toward the mainland, we are tired but certainly fulfilled. We are already looking forward to our next encounter with this beautiful island.
