Unwinding in a Place fallen out of time

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Sometimes all you long for is some peace and quiet, a relaxing environment and no stress at all. If you feel like that you don’t have to travel halfway around the world – you can also start looking for places nearby that are pretty and calming.

Greetsiel is such a place for me. The town is situated on the Leybucht, a small bay on the East Frisian coast. Within Germany, it is a quite well-known place and tourists come all year round to enjoy the beautiful old harbour, dine in one of the fantastic fish restaurants, and unwind from the stressful day-to-day life at home. You can wander around the tiny streets and explore the old town, enjoy some of the best tea and cake, or eat freshly caught shrimps.

Greetsiel was founded already in the 14th century and you can still visit some of the best-preserved old fishermen’s cottages. The picturesque fishing harbour is still home to 28 active shrimp cutter and more than 100 years ago, two windmills have been built in Greetsiel. They are called the “twin mills” and are smock mills where you can either stop to have a coffee or buy flour, which is still milled there. You really feel like a time traveller when you visit for the first time. The place calms me down every time without ever getting boring.

If you feel like a little adventure and the tide is low, you can go on a hike through the Wadden Sea and learn about the great biodiversity and wonderous creatures you can find there. You can rent a bike and explore the area around or take a boat trip to one of the East Frisian Islands.

Tip: One of the most iconic sights in the area is the Pilsum Lighthouse, which was built in 1891 and has guided ships until 1915. It is no longer in use but has been used as a film set and registry office. You can reach it within 45 minutes from Greetsiel on foot and you will meet many of the most common East Frisian inhabitants: sheep.

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