Sunday 2nd June 2019

And, a day off. In Denmark.

I can tell you that the Esbjerg branch of the Liverpool supports club danced and shouted in the square outside the hotel until 6 on Sunday morning. Just after they woke me up for the 500th and final time, they went home, and all was quiet again, but I was awake.

But what to do with the day?

Well, I bought the Orchid book on Saturday, so I searched some sites fairly local, and the best bet seemed to be Henne Strand, and knowing the area quite well, I thought I could find it with no need of maps. Just as well as the car had no sat nav.

I have breakfast, then take myself and my camera to the car and set off heading north up the coast to Varde, where I used to go when turbine manufacturing used to take place.

From there I turned what I thought was the right direction, and just as I was doubting myself, I saw a sign pointing the way.

It was by then a glorious day, bright sunshine, with a gentle breeze. The Danish countryside was wonderful, a mixture of fields and woodlands, criss-crossed by dead straight roads, broken up by small villages.

Henne Strand is a small Danish seaside resort, made up of tat shops, ice cream places and restaurants and bars. But early on, it was fairly quiet and parking near the dunes was easy.

The orchids, Coralroot Orchids, should be found in the dune slacks. But then I realise that the dunes stretched for miles north and south. I hoped I had picked right, and would find them.

At first glance, the dunes looked all held together with tussock grasses, but closer there were small violets and violas, brightening up the dunes. There were other plants and flowers, whole slacks made up of just lichens, they look so fragile.

But I still saw no orchids.

I struck off from the wide paths, following narrow ones along the slacks and valleys, stumbling across a huge caterpillar on the path at one point.

I scan the dunes as I walk along, then I spot something green. Bright green.

I recognise it as a sand lizard. It stays still, thinking I hadn't seen it. I just hope the compact can get a usable picture. I snap away.

I walk round more, but find no orchids.

So I turn back to the car park, while clouds gather overhead and it grew cold. Bugger this for a game of orchid soldiers, I thought.

I was going to go back to the hotel for a beer and a snack of nachos, but thought better of it, and went to Ribe instead.

Ribe is an ancient town, with a fine cathedral, cobbled streets and bridges over a small network of ditches and canals, all lined with picturesque timber framed houses.

I park outside the town and walk to the centre. The clouds had parted and the hot sun now beat down, making the temperature be balmy, even hot. I had not had a drink since breakfast, so try to find a corner store, but find just posh restaurants. Even the cafe I went into had no bottled sodas, instead the guy made me some kind of cordial with strawberry concentrate. It was very nice, but I downed it in two gulps.

I queue up for an ice cream, two huge scoops of pistachio in a waffle cone, which I eat sitting beside the canal, whilst hungry jackdaws look on, eyeing the crumbs I had dropped.

I have a slice of pizza from a small place on the way back to the car, washed down with a coke. I felt much better.

Another hot drive back, this time along the coast back to Esbjerg, where I go to Dronning Louise for a couple of beers.

I feel even better.

And that was it. Spent the rest of the evening in the room, writing, listening to music.

And that was the weekend, or half of one.