Accordingly there are several ways of reaching the island, by land during low tide, by ferry at high tide (90 minutes) and by air (~10 minutes, or less). There is a small airport in the outskirt of Norden that is equipped with a 4-seater Cessna, which is simply too exciting to pass up - and that's exactly how I got to Juist.
Once on the island no automobiles are allowed, and so every breath fills the lungs with fresh, unpolluted air. The mode of transports are either horse-drawn carriages or bicycle. From the airport, it was perhaps 10 minutes on carriage before reaching the main town and bicycle-rental places.
As this is hugely popular with Germans, almost every building and shop are geared towards the needs of tourists and vacationers. Before reaching town there were a lot of houses that looked a lot like holiday properties and the carriage stopped a few times to let off passengers. Once inside the town I passed by several hotels. This was the hotel I stayed at.
Most of the buildings are red-brick structures, rather simple but still quite pleasing. It has the feel of walking on the streets in the '50s. The main beach is just steps away from the town.
The main draw of the island is its unadulterated natural habitat for its flora and fauna. While all the human activities take place in the middle of the island, the two ends of the "stick" are barely inhabited. So I decided to bike to the western end. The scenery I saw was simply breath-taking, and aside from the occasionally riders and birdwatchers I knew there was nothing that separates me with mother nature.
Compared to Texel, another Frisian island on the Dutch side, Juist is much smaller and more deserted. Most of the island is now a nature reserve, so while I can reach (on foot) to the western tip of the island there is a large chunk of green that is fenced, so birds and animals can inhabit the island undisturbed.
My only regret was not having better lens for my camera. Whales and seals are popular visitors to the island and there are frequent sightings of them - if you have a powerful telescopic lens, that is!
Seals on Juist: http://www.wfaa.com/news/slideshows/Photos-Volunteers-raise-abandoned-seals-release-into-wild-219604721.html?gallery=y&img=4&c=y
I look forward to visiting the Frisian Islands again, perhaps next time I will try Norderney, the smaller island east of Juist.
Schedule for FLN flights to Juist: http://www.fln-norddeich.de/index.php?id=439
Thhanks for this blog post
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