Vacation on the North Sea

Ahhh...vacation. Since we were going to be in or around Eva's folk's place on the 2nd and the 9th of June, we thought we'd just take off on vacation in between. Since the North Sea is close and favorite of the Göttgens family, we packed our bags and took our first vacation as a family!After a 3 hour drive from Hattingen and a 40 minute ferry, we found ourselves on the North See island of Langeoog - one of the many German islands that dot the North Sea coast.

With any vacation on the North See, the weather can be tricky and ever-changing. Thankfully, we had great weather (and no rain!) all week long. While the weather can be less than optimal on the North Sea, the beaches are awesome - with powder sand beaches that go for miles.
The traditional building material for roofs is reeds from the natural grasses that grow wild on the island. These reed roofs can last for centuries, but present quite a fire hazard.

Quinn experienced sand for the first time. He didn't seem to like the sand between his toes, but I'm sure he'll grow into it - especially when we can build sandcastles together.
The North Sea is a particularly good vacation for families. The kids can play for hours on the beach doing everything from sandcastle building to flying kites. It is especially cool on the North See during the low tide because the ebb is so BIG. The difference between the high and low tides can be kilometers, and it is very cool to walk so far from shore during the low tide.
Thankfully, Eva's parents were with us as well. It allowed us some time to ourselves when they would take Quinn for a walk, and their company is always appreciated. We played cards quite a bit during the evening together, and Eva's dad is teaching Quinn the basics.

...these are the pics that kids hate their parents for...