I ventured west for the first time, making it to the
island of Fyn. I took the train to Denmark's third-largest city, Odense. First of all, any town named after
Odin - essentially the Zeus of Norse mythology and the
father of Thor - is automatically a winner in my book.
In reality, Odense should be called 'Andersenville,' given its obsession with native son, Hans Christian Andersen. The author of
The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling and so many other famous works was born in Odense. Andersen grew up in grinding poverty, the son of a struggling, single alcoholic mother. By the end of his rich life, Andersen had written 212 fairy tales, 51 theater works, several books and thousands of notes. Born a pauper, he died while earning a "national treasure" stipend provided by the Danish crown, and he received a state funeral in Copenhagen.
I visited the
Hans Christian Andersen Museum in Odense, which includes the house in which he was born and a series of rooms detailing his life, complete with daguerreotype portraits and hundreds of his drawings, notes and
paper cuttings. My favorite part may have been the quotes scattered around: "To travel is to live," "
My life will be the best illustration of all my work," and so on.
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| The birthplace of Hans Christian Andersen, now a museum |
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| Along the same street. H.C.A.'s house is the small yellow one with the visible chimney |
