Day Trip to Ribe – Denmark’s Oldest Town
Good nights sleep at the apartment in Esbjerg. Up around 6:30am, just before sunup, to enjoy a coffee and check today’s weather. Looks good for our adventure to Ribe, warm, around 720, and partially cloudy, or partially sunny if you’re an optimist.
The drive today is about 35 minutes and not through any significant WW2 defensive sites so no stopping on the way. I was a little apprehensive when we first started to consider Ribe for a day trip. Any place that advertises that it’s just a short drive from another tourist attraction (Legoland- did I mention that Legos were invented in Denmark by Ole Christiansen in 1932), doesn’t seem to have much to offer. But we decided to try it anyway. It’s not far and it does have a cathedral!
The cathedral, started around 860AD, is the oldest in Denmark. While excavating for a new building next to the cathedral, remains of two churches, one on top of the other, were found along with the graves of 83 Christians. In 948AD, the Bishop of Ribe, Bishop Liufdag, was pursued and beaten to death by heathen townspeople after a not-so-popular sermon. Maybe he should have been a little clearer on the “love thy neighbor” part.
Quaint old town and fun to walk through. Of course, now that we have acclimated to Scandinavian customs, it’s time for our fika and we found the perfect pastry shop. Coffee, Americano with cream, and ½ of a 15-inch pecan / cinnamon roll. (They only sold full or ½ so we went light)
Afterwards we strolled along and took a few pictures of the town. Some of the buildings were really interesting, and some looked pretty unstable! Main thing about Ribe, it’s a tourist town. The sites and restaurants on the square fill up pretty fast so get there early or strike out away from the town center.
Last on our “Today’s Journey” list is a visit to the sculpture, “Man Meets the Sea”. This is a sculpture by artist Svend Wiig Hansen, who is depicting man in his early, pure form, before rising up and beginning to act. That, according to Svend, is when man gets his hands dirty. What the hell???? OK, still wanted to see these 9m (~30’) tall, concrete sculptures looking out over the sea. You know, when in Rome…..
More like the Day the Earth Stood Still!
Done that. It’s now almost 3pm so time for lunch. We went downtown Esbjerg and found a nice little restaurant in the pedestrian area. I know you’re not going to believe this, but I ordered the smoked salmon appetizer to share with Mom-Bear. Just sounded good, and it was, well somewhat good. I had a few pieces and Collette helped finish it off. Not bad, good smoke flavor and good sauces.
Smoked salmon appetizer
Roasted pork
Fish & Chips
Our meals, fish & chips for me and roasted pork for Collette, were pretty good. Collette’s lunch was absolutely delicious, mine just OK. But hey, what do you expect for a hundred bucks? And that, little Geppetto, is why we don’t eat out all the time.
That’s it. We drive to Malmo, Sweden tomorrow but will come back for the day to Copenhagen to do the tourist thing. Still need to find a Christmas ornament for the Misses and souvenirs for all our friends.
Logger ud til i morgen.