There are 360 windy days a year written on Tarifa’s flag. After many years of visits, I know all the winds of Europe’s southernmost city. Or so I thought. Our April here begins with two weeks of almost non-stop Levante gales of 22 to 52 knots. Exhausted from the 2,800 kilometre journey, I don’t move on to known alternative spots with less wind.
I look for work. I analyse dozens of kite school websites. I give detailed advice on window vents that whistle in a storm. Then the wind is gone. After a few days in the doldrums, the forecast promises another non-stop Levante storm for our entire stay until the end of April. I forget the number one Bavarian rule for kiters: “When the wind blows, use it!”. (more…)
Caños de Meca
The Levante in Tarifa is once again blasting at a stubborn 20 to 45 knots today. There really isn’t a single kiter out on 12 kilometres of beach. Even the big air pro riders in the Balneario are taking a break today. We drive to Getares, the next kiteable beach in the direction of Algeciras. Just 16 kilometres from Tarifa as the crow flies, we once again find ourselves on another planet in terms of wind. A light kiteboarder is bobbing through small waves in just under 12 knots on his 13.
We head back to Tarifa and check the wind at Valdevaqueros. It doesn’t actually feel all that strong and bucking. But that’s typical. The nasty wind doesn’t come all the way down to the beach, especially on the first Levante day. It only bucks a few metres further up – and then extremely. Even Liam Whaley advises us to move on today. (more…)
Levante Nemesis @ Tarifa
I have been travelling the world with my kites for 24 years. The wind is my life. Among the more than 200 kitespots I’ve visited in over 50 countries are some of the world’s most stubbornly strong wind areas: Bavarian lakes in front of a thick western front. Kalpitiya, Sri Lanka. Cape Town. The Cuesta del Viento high in the Argentinian Andes. The Philippines. Bahia Salinas in Costa Rica. Fiji. Or River Gorge, Oregon USA.
In all these places, I’ve always had a few days with too much wind for the smallest kite. According to the anemometer, my nose recognises 50 knots pretty accurately. The Levante storms we are experiencing in Tarifa for a month this April are simply blowing the bottom out of every barrel. By the end of the month it will probably be > 50% Levante with 22 to 52 knots at the top. (more…)
50th Roskilde Festival
The festival, which takes place near the small Danish town of Roskilde, is one of the biggest festivals in Europe with at least 130,000 visitors plus 25,000 helpers. Good friends and regular visitors said it was a must-see. So after two years of hibernation, I travelled directly from the InMusic Festival in Zagreb, a good 1,400 km away, which is quite small with 20,000 visitors.
I’m really over-celebrated and really tired. I also don’t like big crowds. And the line-up of the 50th Roskilde Festival is the worst for many years. After a week of partying, three things are clear to me. Firstly, with 180 bands and eight stages, everyone will find their gold. Secondly, not all that glitters is gold. Thirdly, digging for gold is usually a very dirty business. (more…)
Ciao Sicily!
In the last of my five weeks in Sicily, the Scirocco churns over Lo Stagnone for a few more days. The heaviest day drops back down to 12 degrees and peaks of up to 45 knots. Hardly anyone is outside, and even the friends and locals who ride this ultra-strong storm with the smallest kites don’t break their best marks.
I take a break and don’t go out again until a day later. The Scirocco continues to blast along at a slightly less rough 20 to 35 knots. I no longer fulfil my “Don Dodeci” mission, but I am satisfied with the 9.4m height I have achieved. The last few days my knee finally gives out. I can’t even edge without screaming – let alone jump off or even land. (more…)
Corleone & thermal baths of Segesta
As big fans of “The Godfather”, Corleone was naturally at the top of our list as the home town of practically all of Sicily’s big mafia bosses. According to four different sat navs in the car, it takes an hour and a half to get there. None of them is right. The country roads turn into dirt tracks several times.
The first two routes are completely closed. We ignore the third complete closure. After a few kilometres with potholes until just before Australia, the road quickly drops 40 cm across its entire width. We get over it, but definitely not back. After two and a half hours we arrive in Corleone. (more…)
The mysteries of Trapani are solved!
The Mysteries of Trapani are one of the most important Christian festivals in Sicily. In a 24-hour procession, hundreds of believers carry twenty statues of saints weighing up to a tonne through the old town of Trapani on Good Friday at 2.00 pm. They are accompanied by numerous large brass bands.
We arrive in Trapani’s old town centre in time for the start and are immediately blown away by the sound. The first band seems to be playing the Godfather’s theme music. A slow Jesus rave in a minor key begins with marches around 70 BPM. Despite the cool weather, the porters are sweating from the very first minute. The mysteries of Trapani are the essence of the Catholic faith, which is celebrated even more powerfully in Sicily than in Bavaria. (more…)
In the Zingaro National Park
The Zingaro National Park is located at the north-western tip of Sicily between Castellamare del Golfo and San Vito lo Capo. It can be reached within an hour by car from Lo Stagnone, regardless of whether you choose the northern or southern entrance. We drive to the entrance via narrow winding roads and the south. The entrance fee is five euros.
In the 1980s, the largest environmental protection movement in Sicily to date was formed here. The government wanted to build a road from Castellamare del Golfo to San Vito lo Capo. The entrance to the national park is the only completed tunnel in the project. The conservationists won. (more…)
Salemi & Selinunte
My friend Tom and my wife are visiting me in Sicily. The first day together offers a good, powerful Scirocco and a bright, cool sunny day on the beach. I’m out kiting for almost three hours in total. Tom has unfortunately forgotten a lot in the four years since his beginner’s kite course in Egypt.
During his course, I realise for the first time what a hell of a sporting achievement the kite instructors here are. Running after the student for 100 metres dozens of times in soft mud up to 30 cm deep is extremely exhausting and frustrates Tom too. (more…)
Sirocco in Lo Stagnone
My friend Wilko is visiting me from Berlin for a good week. For most of the week, the Scirocco blasted along at 18 to over 30 knots. On one day, it even reached a top speed of 46 knots. Definitely too much for our smallest kites. On the other days, we test all the spots in the northern lagoon of Lo Stagnone. On the few windless days, we toured western Sicily.
We start the first session at Wind, Water & Wine. The spot is run by the lovely Austrian Lena. It’s easy to set up on the grass. As with most other spots, there is no infrastructure. The only bars are in front of the kitesurfing resort – and all of them are still closed. You pay five euros a day at Lena. Carry your kite to the water’s edge, launch and head out onto the water. There are no dangers here apart from a few cacti on the narrow beach and a clearly visible rock in the water. (more…)
Sicilian post-corona blues
I was absolutely certain: corona is a mental illness and it mainly affects those who don’t have it. I was wrong. Just two weeks after testing free from my corona infection, I’m still finding it hard to breathe. I set off on my first big trip in two years and fly to Sicily for the first time with Ryan Air. The checkout is a true masterpiece of superfluous “offers”.
The taxi driver charges me €50 for an eleven kilometre journey from the airport to my first accommodation. The hostel manager confirms that the price is the same everywhere. Nothing mafia. Just Putin. The driver said it was because of the petrol prices. They are currently about 40 cents lower than in Germany. (more…)
Breitenbrunn / Lake Neusiedl
I’ve had my eye on this forecast for a while. you rarely get 24 knots at 24°C in October on Lake Neusiedl. But the first disco after a year and a half break due to the coronavirus the night before, plus four and a half hours travelling to and from the lake and kiting are too much for one person alone.
Luckily, some friends spontaneously decide to drive over. One place is still free. After the disco, I quickly pack the kites at half past three. We set off an hour later. I sleep through the whole journey in the cosy camper. (more…)
A journey through Postfactistan
I love travelling and people who think differently. They are my home. I respect discussion and even though I may often offend people with my sometimes extreme opinions, I always make an effort to either respect and understand other opinions – or to change them in objective discussions. The latter often also applies to my own.
Corona has finally sealed the demise of any meaningful culture of debate. The brilliant Israeli polymath Yuval Harari predicted back in 2016 in his deeply disturbing book “Homo Deus” that the internet would destroy democracies and ultimately humanity. Unfortunately, I can only agree with him today. (more…)
Samos
As the last island on our journey across the Dodecanese, Samos inspires us from the very first moment. The catamaran arrives in the old capital Pythagorio in the evening in heavy seas. By the time we check into the very fine Belvedere Hotel 600 metres behind the harbour, we are soaking wet. We walk through old narrow alleyways to the castle, to the ruins of an early Christian basilica and again to a good Greek garden restaurant.
Early the next morning we walk to the oldest and longest tunnel in the world, bored from two sides. Within a good 10 years around 540 BC, Euclides managed to join the two tunnels with a horizontal deviation of just two metres over a good kilometre using trigonometry alone. There were more problems vertically: Euclides had miscalculated the gradient for the aqueduct. The slaves were therefore also allowed to dig a trench up to eight metres deep into the limestone at the southern end. (more…)
Kiting in Kedros
Our last stop is in the north of Samos in Kedros. I suspected that kitesurfing would be possible here. But in the absence of any reports on the WWW, nothing was certain. I’m delighted when I spot the first kites down on the beach from the terrace of the Kedros Hotel as soon as I arrive.
The Kedros Hotel is a bit outdated, but super clean and the two hosts, Grandpa Ioannis and his wife Ijlal, are absolute gems. Nowhere were we happier. Our trip across five islands of the Dodecanese ends with top service, the best breakfast and fantastic sunsets with funny stories from the well-travelled owners on the terrace. The rooms have panoramic balconies with views of Kedros Beach, 150 metres away, and quiet air conditioning. The best way to book is to call Ioannis directly, he speaks good English: 30 6934 1327 22. (more…)
Lipsi: Of Sense And Nonsense
Lipsi is the smallest island on our tour. Settled since the Bronze Age, for centuries Lipsi served solely as a goat pasture for the monastery on the larger neighbouring island of Patmos. Today, Lipsi has just 700 inhabitants and is the only place in a wide area that serves water in glass bottles to its 8,000 overnight guests every year.
The village is committed to ecotourism. Plastic sun loungers and jet skis are therefore banned. Lipsi is the only island in the Dodecanese to practise waste separation. Our green dot has been around for over 30 years – and for just as long we have tolerated the fact that 60% ends up in waste incineration for “thermal recycling”. On Lipsi, all the wonderfully separated waste seems to end up in a single, poorly secured landfill site – with a fantastic view of the Aegean Sea. (more…)
Leros
In just 25 minutes, the Dodecanisos catamaran takes us across to Leros at a speed of 60 kilometres per hour. The island is completely different to Kalymnos: quite green, varied and confusing. With its many bays, no island in the world has ever managed to confuse me so often. Only shortly before departure do we realise from which harbour we are heading.
The Paradisso Studios on Vromolitos beach deserve their name. A Garden of Eden full of fruit to eat is guarded by rather snappy geese. They don’t mind stealing – but they do mind being approached. We hire a fine 125cc Symphony scooter with plenty of steam and immediately swing up to the medieval castle on one of the highest mountains above the old marina of Leros. (more…)
Driving on the moon @ Kalymnos
Early the next morning, we jump on the spaceship to the moon. On the upper deck, the Meltemi blows in our faces at a good 40 knots. The moon doesn’t seem to have a slipstream. But there are much cheaper means of transport. You can hire a small old car on the moon for a quarter of the price of Kos, starting at €30 per day. Let’s treat ourselves.
Our accommodation is located at the end of a road that winds into the steep slopes of Melitsahas on a small private beach with a view of the barely inhabited neighbouring island of Telendos and the sunset. Perfect – only the high cliffs on both sides stop me from kiting. We set off. Oleander bushes and wild thyme grow next to the steep mountain roads. Otherwise, Kalymnos really is like the moon: abundantly bare and rocky. For climbers, the moon is pure paradise. Dozens of them hang in every halfway shady shell limestone wall. (more…)
Kos
Kos is beautiful but offers less greenery than Corfu, for example, and significantly less variety and historical buildings than Rhodes, for example. As car hire prices have risen in recent weeks to at least €125 a day for a small car, we switch to a 50cc scooter. We tour to the western end of Kos, climbing steep hills in the blazing sun and gazing out at the endless blue. We stay away from the few tourist hotspots that are approached every day by an armada of large buses.
At sunset, we drive to the highest mountain village of Zia. It’s all hustle and bustle here, but that’s to be expected given the panorama. The moon rises over the mountains. Clouds sweep over the ridge. After a hard climb, we roll back down to Tigaki, which is much warmer despite the difference in altitude of only 300 metres. (more…)
Dodecanese @ Kos
Behind us all lies a year and a half of pandemic restrictions. I also have a year of digital promotion behind me with web design jobs until I drop. We want to be free again and enjoy life. The day before we leave for our honeymoon, the German government declares our holiday destination Greece a risk area. Of course I’m pleased that, as fully vaccinated travellers, we don’t have to go into quarantine on either the outward or return journey. But Delta is giggling expectantly in the background. Tests are not even mandatory.
Shortly before Munich Airport, my car’s oil warning light comes on for the first time in 13 years. During the last oil change, I must have given the engine oil more freedom in the form of a half-closed top-up cap. It was obsessively steaming and waving at me from the oil pan with a shiny black colour. I immediately impose a hard lockdown and wonder how pandemics can promote the ability to interpret oracles. (more…)
Rostock is colourful!
The only thing I knew about Rostock was the Sonnenblumenhaus. A good quarter of a century later, I knew little about it either. Or maybe never? So I wanted to see Rostock. The greeting in the middle of the KTV district, which is more colourful than Berlin, is “Welcome to the commune!”. A little surprised, I grin invisibly to myself.
Rostock is hard to grasp. Full of contradictions, colourful and still cruel in many areas. Cars drive on the left. That’s how you express your attitude. By parking in the centre of intersections you express your social vein. Every traffic light on main roads is red if you drive correctly. The speed cameras are at close intervals and the parking attendants love foreign licence plates. In the morning everything jams into the centre – in the evening outwards. Fortunately, kiters have the opposite rhythm. (more…)
Big waves @ Kägsdorf
Actually, the report should have been called “Warnemünde”. But after practically every spot on the Baltic Sea has only been available for a high parking fee in recent years, Warnemünde really takes the cake. Within an hour of searching for a car park in the furthest corners, I really can’t find anything under €20 for a longer kite session. In high season, you pay €3 per hour up to one kilometre from the beach. There are cheaper car parks. From October. They’re all full now.
I head west along the coast in search of cheaper kite spots. There are several kite spots here, e.g. Nienhagen, Heilgendamm and Kühlungsborn. Each one is hopelessly overcrowded. Parking costs at least €5. Despite the good wind, I don’t see a single kite in the sky. (more…)
The Schnatermann session
They still exist, even after 20 years of kiting. The little unexpected surprises. Surprise is an understatement. I’ve already visited Schnatermann, the nearest kitespot to Rostock, twice. Once I was too flat after a wave session in Markgrafenheide. The second time, the wind was too light even for fish and 13m².
Today the forecast was right. Fortunately, the predicted 38-knot peak didn’t materialise. I’m more than happy with 16 to 26 knots, which isn’t a bit of a bump but still fluctuates a lot. I find my favourite spot in Rostock under 10m² and mostly royal blue late summer skies. (more…)
Saal
The kite spot in Saal offers flat water and a large meadow for setting up and launching. Two kite schools hire out equipment on site and offer the only dry shelter even in shitty weather, as well as hot drinks and burgers. Parking costs €5 per day including toilet use. You can also camp here.
The entrance is via a few small stones in a 20 metre wide bay between rushes on the Bodden. If you want to use foils with long masts, you have to go out at least 150 metres. It is a little difficult to get out of the bay in a south-westerly wind. There is a lot of training on the water. Getting through this belt can also be a bit tight at times. (more…)
Markgrafenheide
Markgrafenheide is one of Rostock’s home spots. The journey from the city centre takes about 30 minutes by car. In Markgrafenheide you can only park centrally and for a fee. Many of the small residential streets are fire service access roads. Never park in the wild! There is a lot of towing.
The Author
Frank Woelky, born in 1973. Kitesurfer since 1998. Since 2006, I have been combining kitesurfing and web design on trips lasting several months off the beaten track.