“To travel is to live” - Hans Christian Andersen
Standing in the gardens behind Hans Christian Andersen’s childhood home, Caroline asked, “Are the blues brighter here?” After spending a beautiful day in Odense, I think she might be on to something. Today our group started the week visiting Odense and the birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen.
We began our morning with a nice rainy walk from the hotel to Østerport Station. After finally experiencing some more typical Copenhagen weather, we waited on the platform and chitchatted about our weekends. Everyone had different plans this weekend, so stories about Oslo, Aarhus, and Edinburgh were shared.
Getting from Østerport to Odense was a breeze. Just remember to have a ticket for outside the city pass zones to get to Odense, be ready to walk to the museum itself, and absolutely be ready to get kicked out of your unassigned train seat for people who actually paid for your spot! We walked about 10 minutes from the Odense train station through a very cute little town after getting off the train. We were surprised by the light rail in such a small city, but very delighted with the architecture, purple flower garlands, and cute shops. Something that stood out immediately were the footprints on the sidewalk. Whose steps were these? What were they here for? Should we follow them!? Of course the answer was an easy YES.
After following the footsteps, we arrived at the Hans Christian Andersen House and Museum. I thought this was a really cute way to guide people in the right direction. Inside the house, the exhibit began with a basic explanation and chronological timeline of Andersen’s life. We each had audio guides to interact even more with the exhibits.
It was incredibly easy to engage with this museum! The building had a winding pathway that was easy to follow. On the walls, quotes from Andersen were sprinkled in between major facets from his biography. In between the timeline, rooms were spread out highlighting various themes from Andersen’s life: his love life, his artwork, his travels, and, of course, his fairytales. To make it even more enjoyable, there was ambient music playing in every room that really transported visitors somewhere otherworldly.
For me, the highlight of this museum was the sections including information, art, decorations, and excerpts from various fairytales. It was refreshing to re-read the synopses of fairytales I haven’t read in decades (or hadn’t read at all!).
There was a section of the museum where anyone could read, children could play, and where you could take a quiz to see which Andersen character you were (I got the Little Mermaid).
The museum told Andersen’s story in such a beautiful way. It showcased the way he viewed life as a positive thing even in tough times; Andersen grew up poor, lost his father, and died a bachelor but he never lost his lust for life.
Another thing that stood out was something Caroline mentioned to me, Cindy, and Jamie at the end of the tour. She said the “exhibit was for adults and children, just like Hans Christian Andersen wanted his stories to be.” I think he would’ve been very pleased. I know I was, I even teared up reading about his funeral. After walking through the room for remembrance and Andersen’s birthplace, the group split up and explored Odense.
Cindy, Caroline, Jamie, and I ate lunch at Sirup. We got coffees, smoothies, and sodas. We ate salads. sandwiches, and quesadillas. Cindy even got a cute little centerpiece for her birthday (you just smell it and look at it… very different from the American birthday experience).
Overall, spending the day in Odense was rewarding. The Hans Christian Andersen museum just highlighted how beautiful life can be, even in the smallest ways. There is beauty in the bees collecting pollen, in the laughter at cafes, in a cup of black tea with a lemon curd smothered scone.
In the words of Hans Christian Andersen, “Life itself, with all its trials and tribulations, is still the most beautiful fairy tale.”
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