On This German Island,the Breakers Bring Gifts Ashore: Thousands of Toys
It's a fantasy that goes back centuries: a message in a bottle, carried ashore from far-off lands. Authors, artists and children alike have dreamed of such a gift from the sea.
This time, though, it's not a bottle that washes ashore. It's eggs—thousands of little toy eggs.
That's what happened on the German island of Langeoog this week.
Lying just off the North Sea coast, it found itself struck by an invasion of colored plastic eggs—much to the delight of local children, because the eggs contained toys.
Police suspect the eggs came from a freighter that lost part of its cargo during an unusually intense storm, the worst to hit Germany's northeastern coast since 2006.
At any rate, what was lost has now been found by many of the community's littlest residents.
"The surprise eggs have found their way to freedom," said Mayor Uwe Garrels. However, the joy of the moment wore off soon.
"At first I thought this was a wonder, because everything was so colorful, but then we realized that this is a huge mess in the end," said the mayor. He also noted the plastic bags and other materials that have washed ashore on the island can cause serious problems for wildlife.
Still, all these little eggs contained an extra treat with their toys. They bore notes from afar.
There was just one problem for the German children who received them: They were written in Russian.