The Island of Texel, North Holland

Texel is probably a name most familiar to us all on our dinner plate - a breed of sheep now raised everywhere from UK to New Zealand.  But Texel isn't just a name; this mystical place does exist.

An almost straight line of islands is drawn across the top of North Holland and Germany, called the Frisian Islands.  (Incidentally, Frisians were groups of tribal people from these islands who spoke a language that later evolved into the English we now speak.)  One of the biggest and most populated islands is Texel, right above North Holland. 

Texel  這個名字可能時常出現在你的晚餐食譜上，因為它是一種十分普遍的羊，由英國到新西蘭都有人飼養；然而，Texel  並不只是一種羊的名字，它亦是一個現在仍然存在的地方！ 

Texel  是Frisian Islands  其中一個最大、人口最密集的小島，位於荷蘭正北面。Frisian Islands 是橫誇荷蘭北部及德國、幾乎成為一條直線的一群小島。順帶一提，島上部落民族  Frisian 當時所說的語言正是我們現在所說的英語的始祖。

Getting into Texel is by a 30-minute ferry crossing in Den Helder.  As this is a hugely popular island to the Dutch, the boat was filled to capacity during my crossing - it was also April, the height of the tulip season.  As usual, cars are parked on the lower deck and the observatory deck is above, affording us a great view of the mainland and the looming sand dune islands at a distance. 

These islands separate the North Sea on the "outside" and the Wadden Sea on the "inside".  A large part of these islands, therefore, becomes sand dunes and mud flats from centuries of washing by the North Sea tides.  Historically, these islands used to be bigger.  Now, these sand dunes - or vast sandy beaches  - become an unique habitat for wild birds and birds of prey. 

Passing through various villages on the island we got a sense of the holiday spirit the local Dutch so enjoyed here on the islands.  There is even a local brewery here, which, in all fairness, is remarkably good.  The holy grail of my visit was to see the lighthouse on the northern-most tip of the island.  The bold red structure is a sight to behold, and it has been a symbol for the people for generations.  There is a restaurant 100 metres from the lighthouse that serves exceedingly good local fish soups and dishes.  The fish soup alone is worth coming back to Texel. 

And yes, there were plenty of sheep on the island.  Now I know where my dinner is coming from. 

從Den Helder  出發你可以乘船前往Texel  ，船程大概三十分鐘。對於荷蘭人來說，Texel  是一個非常受歡迎的小島，而且四月是鬱金香花開得最燦爛的季節，我座的船幾乎滿座。像往常一樣，車子停在船的下層，而人們則可以去到上層甲板上觀賞荷蘭大陸的美麗景色，你更可以眺望到遠處若隱若現的沙島。 

這些小島把海洋分成外面的北海 (North Sea) 及裏面的瓦登海(Wadden Sea) 。經過長年累月的積聚，北海的潮水把沙粒推成一個一個小沙島或泥濘的平地。根據歷史記載，這些小島從前還要比現在大一點呢。現在，這些獨特的小沙島除了成為人們暢泳的沙灘外，更成為不少野生雀鳥的淒息地。 

途經幾個Texel  島上的小村莊後，我們已經充份感受到當地人那種享受著美好假期的心情。來到這裏除了要一試當地釀造得十分出色的啤酒外，當然還要看一看這裏的燈塔。這個燈塔位於小島的最北點，是我要到Texel  的主要原因。這座鮮紅色的建築物除了是人們的象徵外，當然亦為了讓船隻可以輕易從遠處看到。看完燈塔後，就在距離燈塔大約一百米有一間餐廳，在那裏可以品嘗到極之美味的魚湯及其他魚的菜色。單單是這個魚湯就已經值得專程到 Texel  一趟。 

當然，這個小島上真的有很多羊。牠們都順理成章地成為了我的晚餐。