Ribe

Helene's mother Lykke treated us to a guided tour of Ribe, the oldest city in Denmark.  Helene's grandmother joined us, too.

 The cathedral was a blend of old and new.  Frescoes on the walls dated back before the Reformation to when this was a Roman Catholic church.  But around and above the altar were modern frescoes, mosaics and stained glass.

Ribe was known for its strict judicial courts.  Maren was burned on this spot in 1641, after being found guilty of witchcraft.   

St. Catherine's began as a monastery church.  The grassy mound outside is a medieval mass grave for plague victims.   The church was recently renovated with jacks to support tilting walls, but if you look closely at the picture of the window, it's clear that everything is still not level.

The progressive journalist, Jacob Riis, came to New York from Ribe.

The tower records the high water marks of  historic floods.  The highest band is the flood of 1634, which wiped out an island where some of my ancestors lived.

There are also many lovely doors on the old homes of Ribe.

We then went to Helene's grandmother's home.  The cookies she served were very much like those my grandmother made.  It was a delicious dinner, with much good company.