As i boarded the train just under the Copenhagen Airport, I
only had a brief idea of what Esbjerg was to offer as far as sightseeing and
food is concerned. A little over 290 kilometers from Copenhagen was this very typical
European City. Esbjerg, a Sea Port on the South West of Denmark is the 5th
largest city in Denmark and was once known for having Denmark’s biggest fishing
harbor. As I reached the Esbjerg station
one fine Saturday evening, the Cold Breeze welcomed me thanks to its strategic
positioning of the city in the sea coast.
Not that a town where you can see lot of High rise buildings
or Cosmopolitan culture but then a lot of Monuments & Architecture is what
can keep your mouth wide open. A few 100 meters from the Railway Station is
Skolegade, street which is the most happening place in Esbjerg which also
houses most of the best hotels in Esbjerg. Cabinn Hotel, Hotel Brittania, Hotel
Ansgar, Scandic Hotel to name a few. The main Town Square (Picture Below) happens
to be in Skolegade as well which attracts a lot of crowd during the evenings. Restaurants
from Chinese to Turkish to the authentic Danish food are available in this
square so if you are to decide which suits your mood for the day, the Delicacy
is there.
I got my apartment in Kronprinsensegade which is again a few
meters from the Railway station, also very close to the Walking Street (Picture
Below), which happens to be one of the Longest in Denmark. All those big brands
that you would have seen worldwide or would have heard of are here in the
Walking street.
Tried a few different cuisines here in Esbjerg which has been
pretty much non Danish as even the Danes here Prefer having Italian or Turkish.
So I decided to try the must eat one’s. The Pasta I had from one of the Italian
joint was awesome and I must say I haven’t had that delicious Pasta (Lasagne
Bolognese) in my entire life. But who knows there could be better joints
elsewhere in Esbjerg that might taste better than that. Kebabs are a must have at
the Turkish joints as these huge Sub kind of sandwich can fill your stomach and
might not need anything else to eat for the rest of the day :P
Commuting is not at all a problem considering the City is
really small and that every place is reachable by walk, and the Buses which run
are all well connected. You just need to plan the place you would like to go
and find the bus number which is easily available in the Tourist Information
Desk in Skolegade itself. Buses are always on time and reach the stop at the
time mentioned in the stop itself.
In my quest for finding an Indian Restaurant failed so if you
are coming from that part of the world you can forget about getting some Indian
Food. Now if you are here for a while and not just for travel you can as well
get the Spices (Not the very authentic one’s) from some of the Asian/Arabian
stores in Esbjerg and can have some so called Indian food at home. People who
are not used to the other cuisines have no other go but to do this.
A little outside the City is this beach called Hjerting (Picture
Below), which is around 9 kilometers from the Esbjerg Town Centre. An awesome
beach which gets crowded during summer (Its most of the time winter here but
then if you are lucky you can get at least 1-2 months of 20 Degree’s in a Year
!! J )
“Men at Sea” (Picture Below) is a landmark in Esbjerg which
is a must visit by anyone who comes to Esbjerg. This huge man made monument of
four 9 meters tall white males is one of the most visited places by the
tourists, and is located in the west of Esbjerg by the coast of Sædding Beach.
The monument can be seen by ferry leaving or entering Esbjerg.
People in Esbjerg speak English as well and you will not have
any trouble here not being able to speak or understand Danish. People are very
hospitable and would be glad to help you if you happen to have any query or a
doubt about reaching any place.
More places are on the cards as far as visiting is concerned so i will have a post on the other places in Denmark i will be exploring in the days to come.
