Quintessentially Danish

Derek and Kate were properly tired this morning from their many adventures in London, Madrid and Paris.  Even as weary as they were, they stayed up even later last night to relate some of the many exciting places they had visited.  They filled every minute of every day, sometimes putting many miles on their shoes and hearts in the process.

So SK, the ever intrepid tour guide was kind and patient this morning to let them sleep in.  But as soon as they were awake, however, he was pushing us all out the door to see Odense.

Away we went, traveling west past green rolling fields, quaint homes and farms, over the great bridge and into the city of Hans Christian Andersen.  It is the third largest metropolis in Denmark and has all kinds of great shopping....not the least of which is a lovely little souvenir shop just across from Andersen's childhood home.  It is also home to several magnificent churches, one of which houses Carl Bloch's altar piece of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane.

That is where we began our tour, drinking up the beauty of that great painting.  It is large and imposing, and demands attention in a quiet way.  The Savior's sacrifice and suffering are the focus, and His great love for us....the motivating force.

We sat in that beautiful church for awhile and then walked to the nearby Hans Christian Andersen museum.  He is arguably, one of Denmark's most famous citizens.  He has had a significant impact upon the world with his fairy tales.  There are many that you may not be aware of.  Some of the more famous stories he wrote are:

The Emperor's New Clothes
The Ugly Duckling
The Princess and the Pea
The Snow Queen (the new Disney movie Frozen was based upon this story)
The Little Mermaid
The Nightingale

Many of his stories have morals that are "universal in application" - to quote Derek. He captured the imagination of millions.  His own life contained elements of many of his fairy tales, and included more than a fair share of tragedy, loneliness and unrequited love.   I enjoy that little museum and that little city.

Derek and Kate outside of Hans Christian Andersen's Childhood Home.

We got back into Copenhagen and then went out for an authentic Danish dinner.  We all came home stuffed - wonderful meat and potatoes basically, but in a deliciously Danish way.  It was a perfect dinner for a cold and rainy day.