Sylt

The principle of concentration applies to the sand patch in the Wadden Sea, which covers barely 100 square kilometres, as it does to all islands. Anyone who has ventured through the umbilical cord of the Hindenburgdamm, about 11 kilometres long, to Sylt and got involved with the slower, more intense rhythm will quickly feel a quietly amused pleasure in this clearly defined coordinate system.The fact that a warm feeling of homeland is quickly established is due to an obvious fact: islands are like well-tidied garages, decluttered cellars or purified computer hard disks - superfluous options are faded out, distractions land on residual waste, important things become and remain important, unimportant things recede into the background. The manageability of an island does not create boredom, but depth through focusing. One learns to look closely again. And on Sylt it's definitely worth it.A portrait of the island from the perspective of the "soulful driver" does not consist here of the many moments of storming past, of being able to be what one wants, but the spatial restriction of an island automatically removes storm and urge. You suddenly have all the time in the world. And this is the beginning of a journey that reaches its climax not only in the car but also outside it. Feet in the white sand at the elbow, the northern curve of the coastline. Chew salty oysters out of cunning and compliment them with a sip of well chilled white wine. A hike through the dunes and then this view back over beach oats waving in the evening light onto white foam crowns. Sluggish beach chair satisfaction. Or the many variations of wild tousled movement: Fly in an open car from List to Hörnum, take the bike for the way back and change to the surfboard for a hard session on the way.What makes Sylt a real speciality among the islands of the north can be explained very easily: Sylt is unusual. The silhouette of Sylt already looks very concise as a tailgate sticker, this elongated sickle also contributes to the charm of the island in reality. It is not just an elevation in the sea, but Sylt has character. Due to the great distance from the elbow in the north to the narrow spit hook in the south, there is actually something like felt cardinal points on Sylt, other islands are just somehow round. Also, the fact that the west and east coast of Sylt are only a few hundred metres apart in some places cannot hide the fact that these flanks appear completely different in each case: In the west, the open North Sea rages on white sandy beaches and the Red Cliff, in the east, the wide, grey-brown Wadden Sea stretches as far as the mainland. In the west there is kiting and surfing, in the east tidal flat worms and beach crabs say good day to each other.