Land of the Finding Nemo Seagulls

This past weekend my host family and I visited Oma and Opa in Esens, which is in Ostfriesland, a region off the North Sea. It was cozy, homegrown, very delicious, and a much needed mini vacation after jumping back into school life last week.

Hanging out by the North Sea with my host Grandma.

I guess the first word I'd use to describe Ostfriesland would be windy. The kind of wind where you can just put your arms out to your sides and lean back into it, letting it support your body weight. That kind of power is good proof of how tiny we are compared to the forces of nature. But the wind isn't only powerful, it also made me feel very cozy and taken care of. You're all curled up in your bed under the big, fluffy down comforter, outside you hear the wind banging and whistling and storming around, and it's the safest, warmest feeling to be inside listening to the outer chaos. 

For some reason no one wanted to enjoy the coastal view from this bench during high tide.

I also felt very taken care of by my lovely host grandparents. We were definitely well fed during our stay. There were traditional German staples (bread, potatoes, pudding, sausages) as well as the first cold cut of tongue I've ever tried. We also got to enjoy quite a bit of tea, as it's something Ostfriesland is pretty famous for. 

Visiting the local butcher.

According to the major German news magazine Focus, the average German drinks about 27 liters of tea per year, but in Ostfriesland they raise that average by consuming about 300 liters per person per year. They even have a whole tea ritual I got to experience, which involves setting a piece of rock sugar called Klutje in the cup, pouring the tea over it, and then topping it off with a bit of cream. So if you're ever craving some quality tea that's also available to buy in bulk, stop by Ostfriesland.

Some local wildlife sightings.

Downtown Esens was very cute to stroll through. They have this art installment with bears all over that have been painted with different themes-- Pommes bear, local pharmacy bear, local insurance agency bear, electrician bear, etc. We also got to go in Esen's large church, where my host mom was baptized. The churches in the region are always at the highest point in town because when they were built, they were used as the meet up point in case of emergency (aka when the dike breaks). 

The view's not too bad from the pulpit!

Since my host Oma gives city tours, she has a key to the church tower and we got to climb up 50 or so meters to the top and look out over town. While we were up there, the bells went off, which was equal parts awesome and alarming. She also has access to the town hall, a beautiful old building that's been restored to its original style. It was interesting learning about life in Esens throughout the years, especially for women and girls.

Super flat coastal terrain = views for miles

A final thing that was quite noticeable about the local culture was their way of greeting each other. In Aachen the people I'm around usually say "Hallo" or "Guten Tag" or "Tag" for short. In Esens we were constantly greeted with "Moin." When we were at the butchers it sounded ridiculously like that scene in Finding Nemo with the seagulls-- just a constant chorus of Moin Moin Moin as people came through the door. But it grows on you. As of Christmas I even have my own cloth "Moin Moin" bag with a little seal on it from my Ostfriesland grandparents, and now I can say I really understand it. All in all Esens was great and hopefully we'll be visiting the North Sea again sometime soon!