It is the proverbial rock in the surf: the German high-seas island of Helgoland. Here, the air is filled with the scent of algae and seaweed, water, wind, and salt. One can hear the roar of the sea, the cries of the seagulls, and listen to the waves crashing on the shore. The island has served as a naval fortress, a pirate's nest, and a naval base. Heinrich Hoffmann von Fallersleben wrote the "Song of the Germans" here in 1841, and even today, one can feel the unique magic of this place, battered by the North Sea, in the heart of the German Bight.