Camilla Jessen
A Scottish school project from 1994 has just come full circle.
In 1994, 12-year-old Alaina Stephen from Portknockie, Scotland, dropped a message in a bottle into the sea as part of a school project about water.
More than three decades later, that message has finally been answered.
The bottle, which traveled across the North Sea, was found on the shores of Lisshelløya, a small island off Norway’s coast.
Pia Brodtmann, a 27-year-old volunteer from Germany, discovered it while cleaning up the beach and decided to write back.
A Letter Across Time
Alaina’s original note, remarkably well preserved, introduced her and her project: “Dear finder, my name is Alaina Stephen and I’m 12 years old. I’m from Portknockie and I’m doing a project about water, so I decided to send a message in a bottle,” she wrote. “Please write back to me with your name and hobbies, where you found the message, when, and some information about your area.”
The bottle had been thrown into the sea by her teacher’s husband. For years, Alaina thought it had disappeared without a trace.
The Reply From Norway
According to the BBC, Pia’s postcard response described her discovery: “My name is Pia and I’m from Germany. Today I found your message in a bottle on Lisshelløya, a small island in Norway,” she wrote. “I’ve been here volunteering for beach cleaning for four months.”
She shared that she enjoys mountain climbing and sailing, and attached a photo of the area, including their boats and the surroundings near Vega Island.
“I wonder when and where the bottle was thrown into the ocean,” she added.
For Alaina, now grown, the response came as a complete surprise. She expressed amazement that her childhood note had survived the journey and the years.