Ribe - the oldest city in Denmark & Smørrebrød in the sun

Just under 60km from Åbenrå and almost on the North Sea coast lies the oldest city in Denmark. Ribe was located by the sea hundreds of years ago and had an important harbor for Denmark. Due to increasing silting, there is nothing left today except for a small river that flows through the city. About 1150 years ago, Ribe was chosen as the location for the first church in Scandinavia.

As a good trading place, the location was already mentioned earlier because of the harbor and the river. The Middle Ages were marked not only by prosperity but also by destructive fires and the plague. Nevertheless, the population grew to 5000 people and Ribe was about half the size of Hamburg at that time. With the growing importance of Copenhagen, further plague epidemics, and other strokes of fate such as flood disasters, the population declined and Ribe lost significantly in importance. Nevertheless, Ribe was a bishopric and the Ribe Cathedral is still the largest cathedral in Denmark. The main building materials were mainly tuff, granite, and sandstone.

Unfortunately, there is a completely unsuitable modern painting in the dome around the altar in our view, which absolutely does not fit this Gothic-Romanesque building. The tower next to the cathedral can be climbed. The view of the city is surely beautiful from up there, but the line is too long for us.

So we walk along the pedestrian zone and many side streets, enjoy a huge ice cream, finally sunshine, and delight in the many colorful and cute half-timbered houses that line the cobblestone streets.

There is a lot going on here. However, we mainly hear Danish because, of course, we can also feel the domestic tourism in Denmark this year with the corona pandemic and the travel restrictions for foreign travel.

A break behind the art museum, a bit of duck watching - everything is wonderful in today's sun and wonderfully relaxed.

In the cemetery, we find old gravestones with partly bizarre inscriptions.

The St. Katharine's Church is a former monastery and has a beautiful cloister and courtyard. In the church, there are old models of sailing ships, and it has a beautiful, peaceful atmosphere.

At the end of our visit to Ribe, we find a sunny spot in the flower-filled courtyard of the Postgaarden, a restaurant and B&B located within medieval walls.

Now it's his turn, our Danish super-moment: a Smørrebrød with herring. Absolutely delicious! We're back in Åbenrå around 6 p.m.