Ribe - Slowest Town. Storks, Webs, and A Glass of Water

Ribe, Denmark.  It is historic. Some say the first evidence of Vikings establishing a peaceable mutuality in seafaring occurred at Ribe in 725 when Norwegian Vikings landed here, see http://sciencenordic.com/viking-age-began-denmark.

Ribe also boasts other events of moment:  In theology, this was close to the rest of Europe, and so was invaded by lower Europe's culture and doctrine, commerce abounding, Viking Museum. 

This is a town to skip, however, if you want a nice lunch enjoyed in about 45 minutes.  We tried, sat at a very old spidery place in the shadow of the Cathedral, and waited and waited. 

1. It was not full. Look over and down a ways.  Nice stork's nest.

Stork platform and nest, Ribe, Denmark. European White Stork.

Consider the stork.  Both Horace 65-8 BCE, and Ovid, 43 BCE-8 or so CE record items about the stork. Wikipedia so claims, and cites a dictionary. The best part, however, is following the notations to the explanation of the bar code on books these days: the International Standard Book number.  It (the stork) is carnivorous, has broad black tip areas on the wings.

Ribe is on the migratory flight path of storks, and cherishes them. Just waiting to be fed here.

2.  Look up from your nice table outside.  Nice post and beam construction, and ooh the cobwebs just overhead.  Now, those have been here since the area was first settled (archeological finds) about 710 CE. Whoops! That one nearly landed on Dan's head. Duck, Dan!

Ribe, Denmark, window web view

A waiting diner may well be tempted to scramble up on the chair with a feather duster, if only a duster could be found. Just waiting. Lots to see here, http://www.visitribe.dk/international/en-gb/menu/turist/historie/ribes-historie/ribesstorhedstid/ribesstorhedstid.htm

3.  And this looks like the only place to be for lunch. Everything is saggy with centuries of half-timber weight, and holding strong,  and little panes in some windows that look as though they are really really original.

Dan Widing waiting for lunch, Ribe DK,

4.  That Viking Museum is going to be great.

5.  Amble inside.  Treasure! A six-plate stove, or "close stove" -- German, say early 1700's,only the well-to-do could afford them (find another at Kronborg Castle at Helsingor).  The panels could be used separately as firebacks, to shield the back of the fireplace.  Bricks or stone and mortar could crack eventually from the heating and cooling. See some at http://www.stovax.com/fireplaces/classicfireplaces/classic_fireplace_tiles/cast_iron_panels.aspx

Iron stove, six plate, Ribe, Denmark

Glance outside.  Nope.  Keep on waiting. Nothing going on.  Take a closer look here.

Detail, cast iron stove panel, Ribe DK

Is that a castle, two towers, arch? People there. How about those things on pedestals. Looks secular rather than religious in theme.

6.  Oh -  a stack of plates to the side. Are those for us?

Dan Widing waiting for lunch at Ribe, Denmark. Soon we will need a zimmer

Now, about those storks.  Look! The eggs hatched, the fledglings fledged right before our eyes, and the whole family took off!  Not really. See European white storks at http://www.ribe1300.dk/About%20Ribe/The%20history%20of%20Ribe/Storken.aspx   Finally, got the food. Nice enough but not for that wait. Over an hour. At least. What do proprietors think we are doing in their town? Counting old spiders? And we were tired, and didn't want to be rude and get up and leave, and after all, we had these two glasses of water.

7.  Dash off! Find the museum!  But, this being September, the Viking Museum had just closed.

• Riba riba.  Unreasonable delay is an increase in the cost of the loan of the seat, and is forbidden as interest, without an increase in services. Other cultures forbid it. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riba

Fair use from Wikipedia as to Qur'an 2:275
وَأَحَلَّ اللّهُ الْبَيْعَ وَحَرَّمَ الرِّبَا
Trade, yes.  Interest,  no.

• Some music would have been nice. Riba! Riba!   http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=riba+riba&view=detail&mid=889D922CCE597951810C889D922CCE597951810C&first=0&FORM=LKVR8

And there was this fast food truck just over there. Happy people came and went, French hot dogs, pork sandwiches.. to die for.

Ribe - Oldest Town. Cathedral, Adam and Eve

Ribe

St. Mary's Cathedral

Ribe is said to be the oldest town in Denmark.  It is now part of a larger community of Esbjerg and Bramming, all known as "Esbjerg" - but signs to Ribe remain.  Good idea.
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Ribe was first mentioned in a document from 854-860 AD, a request from Archbishop Ansgar of Hamburg-Bremen to the King of Denmark.  The Archbishop wanted to build a Cathedral in this growing trade town. The "mission to the north" -- backed up by killer crusades in the Baltic area, also known as the Baltic Crusades; or the Northern Crusades, re-employing unemployed crusader knight groups back from the fiascos in the Holy Land. See Malbork Castle, Teutonic Knights, in Poland, attacking the Prussian tribes.
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St. Mary's Cathedral, Ribe Denmark

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Nothing happened until 948, and that is not surprising since Christianity had not been particularly attractive to people of the North.
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Charlemagne had slaughtered 4,500 Saxon prisoners who had refused conversion not long before - say 780-82 AD.  See Sachsenhain. The Saxon lands were just to the south of the Danish Jutes of Jutland, Saxons had fought Charlemagne for 30 years; with help and hiding the leader Widukind among the Jutes.  The two groups, although clearly identifiable, had variously intermarried, or assisted each other in warfare as needed against Charlemagne, or the Wends, or other. Yet, despite the nice request to be invited, the clear threat was there:  refuse, and enter the Holy Roman Empire with force.
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So St. Mary's Cathedral was built in due time.
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A disastrous fire in 1580 burned most of the town.  I believe the square brick tower would be newer than the gray stone, but have to check.  The brick is in the style of 'brick gothic", a later period than the romanesque gray broad arch motif. Is that so?

Romanesque arch, St. Mary's Cathedral, Ribe, DK

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Excellent door, St. Mary's. The reinforced iron would be needed for defense in early days when the church was also a place of refuge.
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Iron door, St. Mary's Cathedral, Ribe, Denmark

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Scandinavian Adams and Eveses look unisex. It is as though which is which gender does not matter at all. Identifying characteristics barely noticeable.  Here, she has longer hair, and barely a size A.  He has barely a muscle. This makes sense if the original Adm or "human" was androgynous, and merely was separated out into two.  There is textual support for that, although culturally suppressed.

Adam and Eve, St Mary's Cathedral, Ribe, DK

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Little motifs of death are found in unexpected places.  Here, a tiny skull and bones, and a tiny hour glass above.  I enlarged this to find the date, 1639; and cannot translate the words.  Peder something?
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Memorial plaque, death imagery, burial,  St. Mary's Cathedral, Ribe, DK

This also looks 1600's, judging from the costume - Reformation era?  Two men and a woman, I think. Menage a trois.  Denmark and Sweden often show more women in the decorative surroundings than we saw in Germany. Even with the enlargement, we cannot make out the words at the bottom of this painting and sculpture.

Three benefactors, or is this a burial?  St. Mary's Cathedral, Ribe, Denmark

Here, Adam and Eve are still the same size, same bodies , really. But did someone add that beard to Adam?  Or is it an original beard?  It looks affixed, not growing. Perhaps it was disturbing to someone that no-one could tell which gender was which. Also, the snake did not become a snake (that is, something without legs) until after the pair were found out, and here, Adam is just about to enjoy his portion.

Adam and Eve, still androgynous in many ways? St. Mary's Cathedral, Ribe, Denmark