The dunes of Norderney. Photo (cc) flickr user HaystackPhotography

An island that can be reached only by boat?  The thought alone had images of pirates and buried treasure dancing in my head.  Budget airlines had made “exotic” locations easier to reach, and so, several articles told me, people had been flocking to foreign coasts instead of Germany’s own bit of the North Sea.

But the tide was coming back in, and I wanted to get a look before too many tourists remembered that the German coast is a pretty sweet spot to spend a few relaxing days.  So when a friend invited me to come along to Norderney, I jumped at the chance.