Sylt im Winter: Nordsee, Watt & Kegelrobben | 4k | ARD Reisen

Sylt im Winter: Nordsee, Watt & Kegelrobben | 4k | ARD Reisen

(Music playing) I find winter spectacular with its storms. At this time of year, you can really smell the sea. The waves get bigger, perfect for surfing. There’s nothing better than holding the wind in your hands. Beautiful light. (Music playing) Secluded beaches, a rough sea, and pure nature here at the northernmost tip of Germany. Of course, that has an effect on the people here. And I’m very curious about this interplay. Now we’re going to explore Sylt together. (Seagull cries, calm music) Right at the top of the map, we find Sylt, the largest of the North Frisian Islands. It’s characterized by its unusual shape, is 38 kilometers long , and only 320 meters wide at its narrowest point. (Calm music) (Bird calls) (Rustling) (Bells, calm music) Here, at the so-called Elbow, the observant walker can still occasionally find an old Sylt treasure: driftwood. Even today, there are still a few islanders who specifically search for it. I’m meeting up with two of them now. Morning! Hello. – Are we going to do some collecting? We’re going collecting. Which way are we going? – North is best. North is always the right direction. How often do you go collecting here? – Several times a month. And do you look for things like this? Is this wood interesting to you? I almost missed it, yes. My eyes are everywhere. – Yes, yes, perfect. Is this good? – That’s great. Of course. We don’t know what it will become. But this is already, this is for us… well, gold. This could become a shelf. A candlestick with several… – Yes, exactly. You can start with me. (laughs:) Yes. – Perfect. And this is going in your backpack? Yes, this is going in the bin. Yes. You develop an eye for these things, don’t you? Sometimes they jump right out at you. But sometimes they’re a bit buried. (Soft music) Look over there. Another one like that. – Yeah, what can I say, huh? This is a good stretch, isn’t it? Good stretch of beach. This is a golden… golden beach. – The golden beach. We’ll take this one too. Yeah, look, this one also has… oh, look. It’s broken off nicely right here in front. These are such favorite pieces. I think it’s a fantastic product that the sea gives you. Shaped by the tides, by… by the water. By the sand, by the beach, so, great. (Bahne:) You can make wonderful treasures out of it. (Soft music) What are you going to do with the driftwood we found? This is your piece, the first one you saw. We’ll make a tealight holder out of it, you said you needed something for Christmas. A tealight holder. – Yes, I’m a huge fan of holders. And that means we’ll put these tealight holders in here. Then you’ll have a nice effect at home. Beautiful light in the evening. We should be able to get that done quickly. Bahne, the jigsaw, please! Here you go. – Thanks. Okay, let’s go to the drill. – Mhm. Let’s align this quickly. Bahne? Could you lend me a clamp? – Yes. There. Let’s see if the glasses fit. – Mhm. It would be a shame if they didn’t. – Yes. (Clattering) Perfect. Top-notch, right? – Very good. Can’t fall off now. – Almost done. You have to do this too, you have to get the whole stamp in. Okay. Now move it. Ooh. – Come on, not bad. It looks top-notch, yeah. – Right? Bahnemann, I need some more sandpaper, please. It’s always good to have someone to hand you things. – Thanks. Thanks, yeah, he’s the best. I saw earlier when I went into your shop, you have something like BoBQ here. BoBQ! – Yes. What’s that? You’re Bo… – I’m Bo. And you do barbecue. I’m a passionate griller, yes. – Yes. And the BoBQ, that’s a grill of mine, with which you can grill in your apartment, on the beach, grill in your campervan, you grill with real fire, but without the smell and without smoke. (Casual music) (Quiet conversation) ♪ Bring out the BBQ barbecue. ♪ It’s so good when it’s… (Unintelligible conversation) ♪ Let’s do the BBQ barbecue dance. ♪ Let’s do the barbecue dance. (Music fades.) Now comes the big moment, I’m very excited. Mmm… this could be something. (Lively music, birdsong) On the Wadden Sea, the east side of the island, we’re now heading towards Kampen. (Lively music, rustling sounds) The usually bustling “Whisky Road” is rather lonely and quiet in winter. We pass the Kampen lighthouse, also known as “Langer Christian,” and head towards Munkmarsch. “Moin, Calle.” – “Moin.” Surfers are all on a first-name basis, right? – “Yes, gladly. I read about you; you founded the world’s first windsurfing school. How did that come about?” – “It was by chance. I was flipping through an American magazine and saw a tiny picture, about the size of a postage stamp, of a real windsurfer. And I’d just had the idea of ​​opening a sailing school here. And that’s when it clicked.” When was that, how old were you then? ” That was 1972, and I was 31.” And this is where it all started over 50 years ago? – “Yes, absolutely right. And not with a lot of effort, but what was really important: the very first thing I did was invent a simulator. And it was a converted piano swivel chair. I strapped the board to it, and you could practice turning, tacking, and jibing right there on the beach.” ” Really?” – “And that was, of course, a huge success.” People didn’t even get wet before they went out on the water. (Lively music) (Quiet conversation) So, for the last 50 years, there’s been action here every summer? It’s… crazy here, yeah. Did you already sense back then that this was a new trend sport that everyone was jumping on? You could feel it immediately. Because people came to me, the TV crews came, the press came. Everyone was interested. That’s how you could tell that the spark had really caught on, right? Of course, climate change also changed the weather. And for quite a while, we always had a lot of wind. That’s died down a bit, but the weather has become more consistent and nicer. And the sport has simply become more widespread. It’s no longer about peak performance, but it’s a real sport for the people. Do you still teach yourself? – Yes, of course. There’s nothing better than teaching someone, and then after a quarter or half an hour, they can ride back and forth on the board on their own. When was the last time you were on a board yourself? Three weeks ago. – Really? You’re still driving? Of course, absolutely. Oh, come on. – Yes. There’s nothing better than holding the wind in your hands. (Soft music, rushing sound) And the wind is omnipresent on Sylt. Even with the sea fog we have today. (Soft music) Our next destination is a real insider tip among young Sylt locals. “Tofree,” by the way, is Frisian and means “content.” Let’s see if I come out of there feeling just as content. Hello, Fabi. – Hi, Arndt. Greetings. – So, how’s it going? Good, yes. Very good. You have a shop right in the middle of the campsite. We lived here, for housing reasons. My wife and I lived on the campsite in our camper van for four years; we came across this shop by chance. I was a chef somewhere else and was looking for a place where I could quickly cook something for a catering event. And then one thing led to another, and the shop was offered to us. And we said yes for some inexplicable reason. So it’s a meeting place where people like to eat and chat. – Yes. From the very beginning, we specifically tailored it to the locals of Sylt. We want to have regular customers, to get to know people. We want to create a place where you feel at home, and I know for sure, if you come in at nine in the morning with a face like that, okay, he’ll get his black coffee, his croissant with butter, then he’ll thaw out and be cool. Then he’ll be relaxed, content. – Exactly, right. What’s on the menu? Breakfast items, fresh juices, good coffee. You can have everything from a regular wine to a vintage champagne . Feel free, you don’t have to, but you can. That’s basically our… Anything is possible. But that sounds like the menu is huge. No, not huge at all, we can just cover a lot of ground. We actually have a relatively small menu, but we always have daily specials on it. We respond to weekly specials from our wholesalers, who say, ” We’ve got some great fish, mussels, want to do something with them?” Sure. We know our customers. You’re a group of four, fancy a medium-sized table? We’ll keep going until you say stop. They don’t even know what’s happening, we just go for it. Oh, it’s not like ordering by order, ” I’ll have the currywurst, I’ll have the roast chicken,” but rather they say, “Give it to us until we’re full.” – Go for it. You can do whatever you want. – Exactly. That gives us creative freedom, not just rigidly following the rules. We can say, “Hey, awesome, I’ve got another fish, another piece of meat, or whatever.” We can be creative, we really enjoy that. What’s your secret to people leaving satisfied? We haven’t specifically thought about it. We enjoy being hosts, I think that’s a core competency. When you come to stay with me as a guest, I want you to have a good time. I want to make the most of the time you spend here. Good, done. Yes, satisfied – tofree. (Upbeat music) (Birds’ calls) And when you’re really tofree, you tend to get a little exuberant. It’s perfect swimming weather today. No sun, wind, and six degrees. Woohoo! (Idyllic music) Okay… (Idyllic music) (Quiet conversation) Yes, and so refreshed, we continue on to a very special place that you really wouldn’t expect to find here. (Music ends.) Yes, the northernmost vineyard in Germany. – Yes. I would have thought that was impossible because it’s much too cold and there’s too little sun. – No. We have a lot of sunshine. And less rainfall than Berlin, for example. – Yes. The days are longer on Sylt. It’s also good advertising, being able to say that this is the northernmost vineyard in Germany. Has that attracted a few fans who say they only drink that wine now? – Yes, there are two. They’ve chosen it as their new favorite wine. Two? – Yes, two people. You and who else? My winemaker. No. No, two paying guests, of course. – Yes. And how many bottles do you make per year? Almost 2,000 bottles of the ’23 vintage. Oh, okay, that’s quite exclusive. – Yes. Now it’s less of the ’24. ’22 was the first vintage, there were only 320 bottles. Okay. – Yes. That sounds like exclusive gifts or something for friends, acquaintances. – Yes. But it also has to taste good. Our aim is that it’s bought because it tastes good, and not because it says Sylt on it. Is the wine drunk here on Sylt? – Yes, a lot. Do you also have collaborations with restaurants here? Yes, not so much. The supermarkets buy a lot. It’s a popular souvenir. – Yes. Is this a special variety, or is anything possible here? We have Solaris here. This is a fungus-resistant grape variety. Up here , we don’t really have time for plant protection . Although the wind helps a lot because everything dries quickly. There would be little fungal infestation, but… yes. And your wine is called “Sölviin”? Why “Sölviin”? Söl is the Frisian word for “Sylt.” – Ah, okay. And “viin” is, of course, wine. Normally, anyone who knows our show would expect us to taste the wine at this point. But this time we’ll do it differently: We’ll taste it later. (Quiet music) (Off:) Our route to the next destination takes us past the idyllic St. Severin’s Church. One of the most popular wedding churches in Germany. (Continued quiet music) (Music becomes more lively.) (Music becomes more intense.) (Train rattles, squeaks.) (Sound of the sea) (Wind howls.) (Seagulls screech.) (Wind howls.) The captain’s village of Keitum is probably the most beautiful village on the island. Here, wealthy Sylt captains who had grown rich with the rise of whaling in the mid-17th century settled. Many of these captains’ houses still exist and are lovingly maintained, for example by the Sylt “Sölring” association. And this one is definitely worth seeing. (Music fades.) How many houses burned down back then because the fire got too big and the thatched roof caught fire? Oh, that happened regularly. Fire was a huge problem. But the inhabitants of that time came up with many clever, good inventions. Like this candle holder, to prevent fire hazards. Hmm, and how does it work? Basically, it’s an ordinary candle that looks a little different. – Yes. But we have a clamping mechanism up here, a kind of scissors. As the candle burns down, these scissors close and interrupt the flow of the flame. It all looks very elegant and refined. What kind of inhabitants were they? – Yes. Except for one, all the inhabitants who owned this house were captains. That’s quite a rich history. We have a samovar, a diorama. It’s closely connected to seafaring. The captain, whaling, then later merchant shipping, they earned the necessary money and could afford such magnificent houses. (Rummently) Captain Hansen slept in there? It’s so tiny! Were they all that short back then? – People weren’t shorter. That’s a common misconception. People had a different sleeping culture. They slept half-sitting, half-lying down, so they placed a large, thick pillow against the inside of the house and then lay down to sleep in a semi-sitting position. – Really? What’s particularly interesting is the superstition that if you sleep lying down, like we do today, horizontally, then it looks as if you’re dead. Then death comes at night and takes you away. That’s a simplified explanation. The answer is to sleep higher up. Then death doesn’t stand a chance? – It doesn’t stand a chance. It was cold in here. Where is the warmest room in the house? The warmest room is the one that’s being heated. That’s the Kööv, the everyday room, the Döns. Ultimately, that’s also the case with this floor plan. We can go there sometime. The Döns. – The Döns. (laughs:) Döns. Yes. Okay, you can imagine how hot it gets in that stove. It almost looks like a safe. It is a safe. If we look at the fire hazard again, we’re really safe here in that sense. – Yes. Because we don’t have the usual fireplace model as we know it, but a “Bileggerofen,” a supplementary stove. The heat is supplied from the central firebox and not actively stoked here. So we have fire protection in here. – Yes. And beautifully decorated with brass. Is it because it’s so pretty, or does it have a practical use? These brass knobs were screwed on via a thread. Brass absorbs heat relatively quickly and retains it well. So, as a handbag warmer, when I go to church or to my neighbor’s for a chat, I can unscrew them in winter, take them with me, put them in my handbag or jacket pocket, and have a little warmth with me. If I touch this, it’s hot? – That’s quite interesting. We need a lot of heat to get something like this hot. Especially if we’re using indirect fuel. Then you have to consider what kind of fuel you have on an island that’s practically treeless. – Hmm. We only have low-quality fuel available in large quantities. For example, dried sheep dung, which is quite good for making a fire. Or heather. But I can’t get the same heat with that as with a beech log, a hardwood. – Yes. They used sheep dung and heather for heating? – Exactly. (Magical music) (Off:) From tranquil Keitum, situated on the Wadden Sea , we head west, towards the surf. Directly into bustling Westerland, the island’s largest town. (Sound of the sea) (Soft murmur of voices) There we visit a shop with particularly sweet contents. (Music fades.) (Lively music: “Candyman” by Christina Aguilera) ♪ Candyman, Candyman. ♪ Sippin’ from a bottle of vodka double wine. ♪ Sweet, sugar, Candyman. This is now candy mass. – Exactly. Okay, good. So, do we color it now? Yes, we make… our hearts white. (“Candyman” plays again.) ♪ Hey-ey-ey-eah. Melanie, why did you say Sylt absolutely needed a candy factory? How did you come up with the idea? It was like this: “If you could start all over again, what would you do?” “A candy shop like Pippi Longstocking.” Okay, and someone said, “You’ll never do that.” No, a friend said, “Okay, you know those candies with designs inside?” “We need to find someone to show us how to do that.” I saw that. Yeah, I’d do it on the side… – Yeah. You managed to put Sylt as a shape into the candies. Here, even “Sylt” as lettering. How does that work? We’ll make a heart right now so you get an idea. ♪ … makes my cherry pop. ♪ He’s a sweet-talkin’, sugarcoated Candyman. Candy over the hook. That’s the power thing. – Mhm. (Crack) Pulled over here and changes… bam, its color. But it actually starts to shine. Eventually, it turns white. I left you the bulk for the big muscles. Exactly. And pull down the sides firmly. It’s still really hot, isn’t it? (off-screen:) Besides the recipe, the right temperature is crucial for making candy. First, we need a mold that can become a heart. That’s why this goes in here. Like this. – Yes. And… – I can’t quite picture it yet. (Clinking) Yes. Now let’s leave it here for a moment. Oh, okay. This will be the heart, so to speak. Exactly, this will be the point of the heart. Now comes the… bottom of the heart, so to speak. Mhm. – We press this in like this… Do you see that this will become our little heart? – Mhm. Whoosh. The design goes in. There. Now you can see it quite well. – Yes. That this can become a little heart. That’s a heart. It goes through. Look here, like this, whoosh. But you need a roller, right? Exactly, that’s the one with speed and sport… (off:) Then the candy mass is placed around the heart and rolled off. That looks very good to me. – You rolled it superbly. Now we’ll taper it in one spot. – Yes. Now we’ll let gravity do its thing a little more… – Yes. And now we’ll start pulling here. I’ll start pulling here. That’s fine, it’s a bit warm. (Light clinking sound) Then you knock that off. The heart is in here. – A heart! It’s a bit deformed, but the heart is in there. Melanie, you’re a true Sylt native, aren’t you? Is it still a good place to be, as a real Sylt native, because there are so many tourists? I like people. Then it doesn’t matter whether they live here or whether they’re visiting. I also think “tourists” is wrong. Aren’t they guests? – Okay. Yes, guests, a welcoming culture. You like the guests who come here to Sylt? But they’re not always here. In winter it’s totally quiet. Do you like that time of year? Actually, I think, firstly, we always have the opportunity to find quiet corners on Sylt . And I like every season. This is more of a time of year when things get quieter, when the leaves fall, when you can really smell the sea again. (Crackling) Yes. (Clinking) Ah, look, that’s great. (Rapid clacking) ♪ Sweet, sugar, Candyman. (Music fades.) Right next to the “candy shop,” I’m now meeting “Neptune’s Sons.” They’re young people from Sylt who have made it their mission to produce and market regional products from the island. I’m sure I can try the Sölviin there, too. (Mix of voices) So, this is the Sölviin. (Glasses clink.) Nice. What’s your connection to the Sölviin? (Glasses clink.) We’re friends with Ben Müller and his family. We helped with the harvest. We like to drink it. Cheers. – (all:) Cheers. Mmm. (Smacking) Really good. I wouldn’t have thought it would be so fruity… It’s a really lovely summer wine, perfect for drinking on the beach. If you taste the grapes freshly harvested, you ‘ll be amazed at the sweetness they contain. It’s not what you’d expect from the north. That’s what’s surprising. You’re “Neptune’s Sons.” How did you come up with that name? When we first started with this whole idea, we didn’t have a name at all. We were having fun with it. Then we thought, what connects us? And that’s surfing. In a way, because the sea brings us together, we’re also Neptune’s Sons. You have other regional products as well. What are they? – That’s Sylt rapeseed oil. I produce it with a local farmer. The rapeseed plants are in Sylt soil for eleven months. It’s a cold-pressed rapeseed oil. Great for a salad or for refining dishes. The bottle looks a bit like something people would take to the beach and rub on to get a tan. It’s not used for that? – No one’s tried it yet. (laughs) Okay, so, if anyone wants to try it, I’m curious about the result. It probably smells delicious too. Is it important to you that you produce and market regional products? There are many products that say “Sylt” on them, but they don’t necessarily contain Sylt. It’s really what we love and what excites us: the island’s origin. It has to contain Sylt to be able to put it on the label. Exactly, like with the gin, for example, berries from the island. Where do you see Sylt right now? Where is it headed in the next few years? Sylt missed the opportunity to reinvent itself for a while. They rested on their laurels, relying on the way things were working. I think there’s a shift happening right now. You can see that in tourism too, where they’re starting to target a younger clientele. Sylt definitely offers space for people who are eager to get things started. The people who come here are also… eager to experience something new. Because everyone knows Sylt. Sylt also has a certain cliché. But there’s so much more going on than that. That’s why I think there’s room to tackle and create new things. Sylt in autumn or winter is definitely different than in summer. How do you experience the island? We’re finding peace ourselves. We’ve had a busy season. We’re blossoming now. (all:) Yes. – This is your time. It’s a time to breathe and blossom. Yes, family time, finding peace. All the things that are usually a bit neglected. The waves get bigger, you can surf really well. – Yes. Even though the water gets colder, it’s the perfect time of year. Things are starting up, the first storms are arriving, yes. Actually, it’s also the right time to try the gin. Absolutely. The gin is always there, really. But we’ll do that later. We’ll come up with something special. Do you have any plans? – Mhm. Okay, later then. First, let’s have the Sölviin. (Glasses clink.) Cheers. Prost. – Cheers. (Soft pop music: “The Sun Went Down” by George Ezra) ♪ The sun went down. ♪ Down, down, down, the sun went down. (Off-screen:) We’ll take Friedrichstrasse to Westerland beach. ♪ Down, down, down, the sun… When the sun is shining, the entire west coast is the ideal place for perfect sunsets. (Seagulls cry) If the weather cooperates. ♪ …down. (Sound of the sea) Our route takes us past Rantum to Germany’s most famous beach bar. (Seagulls cry) (Soft guitar sounds) I’m especially pleased that founder and senior manager Herbert Seckler is taking the time for one of his increasingly rare interviews. Herbert, this legendary place was originally a kiosk. How did it all begin? I was young and stupid, thought I could live off the kiosk. It was that simple. Then it burned down in ’82. And there were so many debts with the new guy. That’s when I knew it wouldn’t work with the kiosk. I figured, you can’t pay back the debts anyway, so I’ll just make a few more and build something proper. And then I was lucky that it was accepted. Then you benefited from the island boom back then. Yeah. Probably, yeah. That means you need a bit of luck in life, right? Yeah. Luck is hard to define. What is luck? Is it the luck of hard work or just being nice and comfortable? I’m already starting to speak Swabian. You can still do it too, can’t you? Well, the way I’m talking now is the way I always talk. I’ve never pretended or made an effort. Are you only on the island now? – Only on the island. All year round? – Yes. Are you coming down again? – No. So, I don’t go away anymore just for fun and games. No? – No. That means you know all the seasons here. – Yes. What do you particularly like about winter here on the island? Well, there’s… a beautiful light. Then it’s cold. Then the sea down there, when you’re dressed up a bit, it’s… simply beautiful. The nice thing about Sylt is, you want some peace and quiet, you walk for five minutes. There’s absolutely nothing back there, and nothing there either. It’s really good here. We have 48 kilometers of sandy beach. Yes. Yes, how many people do you want to cram in there, you understand? Do you enjoy that then too? Yes… Actually, it’s also kind of fun when it’s crowded. You know, more entertaining. Time just goes by faster the more going on. Do you still work? Every day? – Every day. Doesn’t your son do that or something? I do a lot, but I’m here every day. Can’t you let go? Yes, but I don’t know what else to do. Oh! (They laugh.) No, it’s funny, going up here in the morning… So, I’m always sitting here at twelve. Have you become a Sylt native? – No. I’m a Swabian. Oh! You still are, huh? – Yes, of course. You don’t become one? This is my home, and I feel comfortable here, and I want to stay here, but… my homeland is down there. The Swabian Alb is beautiful too. – Yes. The currywurst here is legendary, isn’t it? It’s, I’d say, a dish that’s always relatively inexpensive. Not where I’m from. No? – (laughing:) No. But compared to other things. Yes, certainly. But the currywurst, that was kind of standard. It was quick. And then Air Berlin started selling it on board back then. Since then, there’s been a huge boom with this currywurst. Can you still enjoy it a little? – Yes. And what do you do when you enjoy it? – Oh… What I explained earlier. I sit up here and talk to everyone, then I go to the sea, then… I have a good TV. My garden and… That’s enough. – Enough. To be happy. – Yes, that’s enough. (Soft music, seagulls crying) To truly understand Sylt, you have to see as much of the island as possible. That’s why we’re now continuing along the surf line to the southern tip, to Hörnum. (Quiet music) These tetrapods here are for coastal protection. Some look like seals. And if we’re lucky, we might even see some real grey seals here. Biologist Angela Schmidt is already keeping watch. And, Angela? Have you spotted anything yet? A few seals? No, unfortunately nothing in sight today except birds. How long do you have to wait to see any? It varies quite a bit. Sometimes you’re lucky, you go to the beach and immediately see a head popping out every now and then. And sometimes you don’t see a single animal. Do you come here every day? In winter, we actually walk the beach every day to see if we can find any grey seal pups. In summer, we only do this with guests when we’re giving guided tours. But in winter, it’s every day. What’s your job? Our main job is to be on the beach before the guests and islanders. To see if we can find grey seal pups. And then to decide whether they’re okay or not. That’s our main job. Do you have a rough idea of ​​how many seals there are here? We know that there were around 10,500 animals in the Wadden Sea, at least last year. And the grey seal population is increasing every year. Okay. So that means they’re doing well. – Yes, thankfully again. Because they were almost extinct. How many pups are there on the beach each year? It totally depends on the season. If we have a lot of storms, we find more animals on the beach. Then there might be ten, fifteen, or twenty. If it’s a rather quiet winter, we might only find a handful. Shall we go and look for some? – Let’s go. Maybe we’ll get lucky. (Mystical music) The grey seal pups are really cute. They’re about 50 centimeters long. And completely fluffy and white. That’s called lanugo fur. They’re born with their embryonic fur still on. That’s why they camouflage themselves so well in the sand. Sometimes we can hardly see them. And they have huge, black button eyes. But of course, they can grow into a 2.30-meter-tall bull weighing almost 300 kilos, so… And then they’re no longer cuddly, but dangerous? Yes, they’re the largest predator in Germany. I’d be careful around them. And now is the time when the young are born? Of the grey seals. – Yes. Exactly, the first grey seal pups are born now in winter, from mid to late November . Unlike harbor seals, which are born in summer. So their annual cycle is exactly the opposite. Do you have a favorite season here on the island? I have two passions. On the one hand, summer, of course, when you can still enjoy the beach after work. But I also find winter simply spectacular. With the storms, you have the whole beach to yourself… It’s truly a beautiful time, even in winter. You’ve fallen a little bit in love with this island? Yes, definitely. Nature is, of course, unbeatable. (Soft music) What impresses me most about Sylt: these seemingly endless beaches and vegetated dunes. And behind them, the charming brick houses. The island has so many faces. Simply beautiful, and even now in winter, pure idyll. (Soft music) A love of nature also characterizes the people we’re visiting next. For that, we have to head north again—to the harbor in List. Here in List, I’m meeting with staff from the Alfred Wegener Institute. They’re known for their polar research. But the research here in the Sylt Wadden Sea is just as important. It’s part of the Schleswig-Holstein Wadden Sea National Park. It’s strictly protected and an extremely important habitat. And that’s where we’re going now. The Wadden Sea station has been around for 100 years. It was established because of the disappearance of the European oyster due to overfishing. So they know a thing or two about nature conservation. The researchers regularly take water samples. We usually let it slosh around for three to four minutes. It needs to be comparable, after all. You know what? – Yes? You can hold it down too. – Yes, okay. Like this. – Wow, there’s really… There’s a lot of gunk in there! Isn’t it? Beautiful! Now. – Good. Now you turn on the tap? Now we turn on the tap and hope – ah yes! Wait! You can see it nicely there too. Now I’m really curious to see what kind of creatures we’ll find. You’re really diving into the water with your lens. Wow! Exactly. What we see up here is already the first diatom. They’re also called diatoms. And you can already see the chloroplasts. It’s just like with trees. They use their chloroplasts to produce sugar from light. And that’s how they get their energy? – Yes, exactly. What are you looking at now? What’s the research about? Well, what you can see directly in the long-term data series is that the North Sea has warmed by about two degrees Celsius in the last few decades . That’s very important to know. Because the North Sea is one of the fastest-warming marginal seas in the world. What we can already see, here with our plankton, for example, is that some of the cold-water species are less common, but more of the warm-water species have appeared. So they’re adapting; some come and others go. Yes, exactly. (Light, driving music) (The music fades out.) (Machine hum) Hi, Knut! – Hi! What are you doing here? Good morning, welcome to our mesocosm facility. Mesocosms? – Mesocosms, exactly. A mesocosm is the interface between laboratory experiments, which take place under highly controlled conditions, and field experiments. So what are you investigating here? Because we can change various environmental parameters with our mesocosm facility, such as pH value, temperature, light conditions , and also the tidal cycle, we can study communities of organisms in the Wadden Sea and how they would react to future climate scenarios. So it’s essentially a kind of futures research. What could happen if…? – Correct. With these mesocosms, we can reconstruct climate scenarios up to the year 2100. And we can observe these communities of organisms and see what happens. For example: How do the metabolic rates of organisms change? Are new species arriving? Are old or native species migrating away? Hmm. That means, for example, you know that if the water gets warmer, some species won’t thrive here anymore. Exactly. It’s like this: Climate change is a fact. But climate change doesn’t only have negative effects, of course. Some species benefit from climate change. For example, from warmer temperatures. They then migrate from the Mediterranean to the North Sea. Native species migrate to colder regions. (Softly pulsating music) Back at the Ellenbogen peninsula, the effects of climate change can be seen millions of times over. Here in Königshafen, the Pacific oyster is spreading unchecked. To the detriment of some, to the delight of others. It’s incredible! Are these all oysters? There are millions of them! Yes, indeed. So, here… yes, this is an oyster bed. It’s basically just oysters and mussels. Do you regularly pick up some oysters here for a snack, or…? Yes, actually. It’s a good option. Lots of people pay a lot of money for them. And if you know where and when in the Wadden Sea you can find them, it’s a good way to stock up on oysters yourself. But am I allowed to do that, as a regular tourist? Actually, no, really. – Okay, important point. Exactly. You need a fishing license or a sport fishing certificate. And we can just pick some up here. – Exactly. (Driving electronic music, muffled snippets of conversation) Okay, I’ll take the small one. (They laugh.) Yes indeed. Good. So, lime, then? Lime definitely makes sense. Not too much. Okay, it’s not for Christian, because he’s a vegetarian. (Off-screen:) Now for the promised gin… And then we slurp it out? – Exactly. And chew it too, right? Exactly, slurp it first and then chew it. And then, ideally, you continue. Exactly, chew a little and then swallow. Okay, good. – Cheers! (Magical music) Mmm, now the lime is gone. Now comes the oyster. – Mmm. It’s slimy, but… I think it’s really okay! Don’t you? – Come on, let’s make another one. We’ll put it on like this. A few drops. – Not much. Yes, I could get used to eating oysters with you here. So, Sylt is really a great experience, a beautiful island. I’d love to come back. – We do this every Friday. Cheers! (Relaxing music, seagulls crying) SWR 2024

🌊 Für viele Inselkenner von Sylt ist der Winter die schönste Zeit des Jahres. Nur wenige Besucher kommen auf die Insel und die Natur zeigt ihren außergewöhnlichen Charme in vielen Facetten: Sonne, Regen, peitschende Winterstürme bis hin zum gefürchteten Seenebel. Fauna und Flora verändern sich in der kalten Zeit und erstrahlen in einzigartiger Schönheit.

🦭 Moderator Arndt Reisenbichler nimmt sich eine winterliche Auszeit auf Sylt. Er begleitet Klimaforscher im Watt, trifft auf Kegelrobben, kostet vom nördlichsten Wein Deutschlands und trifft auf die ganzjährigen Bewohner der wohl fesselndsten Nordseeinsel Deutschlands. Für viele ein Sehnsuchtsort zu jeder Jahreszeit 🦪.

❄️ Weiterreisen ins Winter-Adventure im Montafon, einer der coolsten Wintersport-Spots der österreichischen Alpen – in der ARD-Mediathek: https://1.ard.de/reisen-montafon-winterurlaub?yt=d

00:00 Intro
01:50 Treibgut sammeln am Sylter Ellenbogen
03:41 Wohn-Accessoires aus dem Meer & Tischgrill in den Lister Dünen
06:39 Über Kampen nach Munkmarsch
10:10 “Tofree”: Restaurant-Geheimtipp unter jungen Syltern
13:10 Eisbaden bei sechs Grad in der Nordsee
13:46 Der nördlichste Weinberg Deutschlands
15:50 Die Kirche St. Severin
16:27 Reetdächer und Idylle am Watt: Das Kapitänsdorf Keitum
21:04 Wein & Bonbons: Regionale Produkte in Westerland
29:22 Über den Westerländer Strand zur legendären Sansibar
33:17 Kegelrobben entdecken mit einer Biologin
37:02 Klimaforschung im Schleswig-Holsteinischen Wattenmeer
41:48 Austern schlürfen am Ellenbogen / Outro

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Weitere Infos:
► ARD Mediathek: https://www.ardmediathek.de/reisen
► Wunderschön: https://wunderschoen.wdr.de
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#sylt #nordsee #ardreisen #expeditionindieheimat

“Expedition in die Heimat – Winterliche Auszeit auf Sylt” ist ein Film von Rolf Stephan, Redaktion: Dorothee Eisinger.
Dieser Film wurde 2024 im Auftrag des SWR produziert. Alle Aussagen und Fakten entsprechen dem damaligen Stand und wurden seitdem nicht aktualisiert.