Sailing into History

Both Beth and I had an enjoyable trip on the ferry. I decided I had a little Viking blood in me because I have enjoyed our boating experiences so far (this one and the ones around the Isle of Mull). As we were arriving in Denmark we went past a huge wind farm out in the sea. It was something to see these huge wind turbines spinning their blades out in the midst of the waves. (We found out the the company that makes these huge wind turbines is from a little town called Lem, close to Skjern where we were staying). By 1 PM we had arrived in Esbjerg, Denmark. Wandering through the town we could tell that it had been a destination for ferries from England for many decades as many of the local restaurants had English menus, and there were English signs in lots of places. Later we learned that prior to the advent of cheap air travel there were 4 or 5 ferries making travelling that route regularly, now there is just the one travelling one way one day, then the other way the next day. I wonder when aviation fuel climbs in price if people will return to using the ferries.

We also saw off the coast of England many Oil Tankers, just sitting in the water, not going anywhere. I heard the ship’s information officer telling someone that they are waiting for the price of oil to rise. Some of these tankers have been sitting there for over four months.
Once in Esbjerg we had to take a cab to the train station (just too far to walk with our luggage pile). There were able to store our luggage, which allowed us the opportunity to look around the city a bit. Esbjerg is the 5th largest city in Denmark, but even so it was not it that big. Beth’s curling iron died the other day, so we were on the look out for a new curling iron, and I am running out of slide film, so we took our time wandering in and out of shops around the city centre.

We climbed the old brick water tower (which was legal in case you think this was like the mischief we might get into as teens). We got a nice view of the city and the harbour, including the boat we travelled from England, which was still in port. Right beside the Water Tower was the Music Hall (Musikhuset), and of interest to us was that it was designed by the same fellow who did the famed Sydney Opera House (the one that looks like sails billowing in the wind). This building was nothing like that, rather than billowing curves it was based on the hexagon, throughout the whole structure. Still it was an interesting building to have a look at.

By this time our stomachs told us it was meal time. We looked at a number of places, but settled on Café Valter. There I had the largest Ham and Cheese sandwich ever. My meal also included a pretty yummy milkshake with raspberry, pineapple and forest berry in it. The weather was perfectly delightful so we ate outside, the only problem with this was that was where all the smokers ate as well. We have seen more smoking in public on the European Continent than we’ve seen for years. I felt sorry for the little baby who was surrounded by two adults (mom and grandma?) smoking continuously.

After our meal we headed back to the train station, collected our luggage out of the lockers, and boarded a little modern train (2 cars) for Skjern. This train was very comfortable, with lots of room for our luggage, and it had free internet wireless access! I found out later that the west coast of Jutland in Denmark was the first place that wireless internet was made available on trains.

In Skjern it took a while to figure out how to get a cab, but eventually with help from the girl behind the train counter, a cab was called and we made it out to the Bed and Breakfast (on a farm about 5 kilometres out of town). Our hosts, Jø rn and Irene, were very gracious, inviting us to have some coffee and freshly picked strawberries (from their garden). They asked us questions about our trip, and about Canada - we are the first North Americans they have had stay at their place. Following coffee we got a tour of their garden, very nicely done. The whole place had a sense of calm and relaxation about it - a nice ambience for us at this point.

They also have wireless internet which has allowed us to do some catch up with the blog, some checking of financial items, and emails. I was going to catch up completely but found myself too tired, and so have left the rest of the writing until today (while we are on the train from Skjern to Frederikshavn). So I went to sleep thinking that I was in the same territory that my ancestors come from, and I fell asleep wondering what the next day would bring.