Aldi Talk or Johnnie Walker ...

... who will be my best friend (inspired by Marius Müller Westernhagen).

What can I say? We are heading to the 5-star camping site Henne Strand, which is located at the entrance of the town and thus within walking distance to many shops along the main street. It's a pity that there is traffic on the main street, which is oriented towards the two rental offices in the town center. Henne Strand is a very popular destination for holiday homes in the dunes. There are plenty of them here.

When we check in on Friday, the weather is still pleasant, and we sit down at the trendy meeting spot 'Strandbaren'. Many others do the same, including Bernd and Christina from Brinkum. I should mention that we recognized Bernd as a colleague from past work experiences. A big hello and lively conversations about Henne Strand and chit-chat about the advantages of retirement living compared to still being active. Bernd has 2 months left.

Regarding the title of this blog:

We experience Henne Strand with hurricane-force winds from the west, whipping across the dunes from the sea and stifling any outdoor activities. We are more or less trapped in our mobile home. Nevertheless, we take advantage of the few rainy breaks to at least take a walk on the beach and stroll around the town (and spend money, which happens very quickly when the weather is bad and there are plenty of boutiques).

Why is it raining when the wind is howling at up to 65 km/h across the land? Shouldn’t it blow away all the rain clouds? But it doesn’t; the rain still comes. Always only briefly but very heavily.

We have to find out on Sunday when we set off by bike to the 3 km distant Henne Strand golf course. A small round on the pay & play course should be alright. Everything was fine until the 6th hole, but then came one of those 20-minute showers...

And what do you do when the weather turns into a prison?

Right.... the Aldi Talk card I purchased before the vacation (with 100 GB of data) turned out to be a lifesaver. The second season of 'The Gentleman' has just come online on Netflix. We enjoyed watching the first season two years ago.

And Johnnie Walker ... he has to wait.

After 3 days, we decide to leave. The wind is still present, and we move inland. Today’s destination is Esbjerg, which is less than 50 km away.

But first, we make a stop near the town of Skjern by Ringkøbing Fjord. There lies the small village of Stauning, home to Denmark's most famous whiskey distillery.

I had already noticed Stauning Whisky in various shops without being able to connect the dots. Now I stand before the solution - the Stauning Distillery offers tours starting at 1 PM including tasting. And the tour is reportedly very entertaining.

And indeed - the guide Jonas is a real entertainer and presents the history of the distillery's creation in a very engaging way. Only in 2005 did 9 Danes decide to produce whisky in Stauning and purchased an old farmhouse for this purpose.

Over the years, it has been expanded and now houses one of the most modern distilleries you can visit.

Additionally, it turns out that the result of the Danish distilling experiments is quite tasty.

Can you continue driving after the tour with a tasting, or must we stay in the parking lot?

No, it’s fine. We head towards our destination Esbjerg and find a nice spot at the edge of the city at the newly developed Esbjerg Stand. Here, a true hotspot for beach life in the city is emerging. The water areas are prepared for kayaking and a wakeboard park, and a public sauna offers free access in the evenings and mornings with a bathing jetty into the water. Next door is the sailing harbor, which does not interfere with bathers.

And right in the middle lies the mobile home area for 20 units, albeit without any service. But it’s free. It will work for 2 days.

And indeed - on Tuesday, the sun is shining, and the wind is gone. Out come the bikes, and we explore Esbjerg with its long pedestrian zone and harbor facilities in glorious sunshine.

While this was once the largest fishing harbor in Denmark, the harbor now thrives on its strategically favorable location to the offshore islands and the wind farms in the North Sea. Esbjerg is an innovative energy location that consistently focuses on renewable energy and district heating solutions. Around 250 companies have been attracted by this concept, employing 10,000 workers in this field.

Can the pedestrian zone compete with that? Yes, it can. We stroll up and down multiple times. In addition to the usual large chains, there are also many small boutiques, and sometimes you have to venture into the side streets.

Esbjerg's shopping street is said to be one of the longest in all of Denmark (did I mention that somewhere else before?).

On the way back, we still want to explore the harbor facilities. There was supposed to be a beach club - there was, but not anymore since it’s closed. Summer is over here.

Back at the mobile home, we take advantage of the good weather for a drink outside and hope for a sunset.

The first wish was granted - the second one, not so much. But it was a beautiful farewell.

Tomorrow, we move on. We want to visit Denmark's oldest city (Ribe) and finally head over to the peninsula of Rømø. There is a well-described camper area near the town of Havneby (and from there, there is a ferry connection to Sylt. Wasn’t there something about that....)