No, not that Mr. Anderson. Hans Christian Andersen.
We left the hotel early to make the 90-minute drive to Odense, which is where HCA was born. There was a bit of traffic, which our guide explained was due to the “potato holiday“. I am not kidding. This was offset by the number of folks in the crowds dressed for Halloween. Which is not a Danish holiday. At all. Let’s hear it for American culture. And candy.
Like many small towns where someone famous was from, they have a section of town dedicated to him. We were dropped off at the casino, which had a statue.
The casino is just a block away from the cobble-stone street old-time neighborhood that the house HCA grew up in. Of course, where else would you build a casino?
You know you are famous when the town personalizes the man hole covers to celebrate your achievements. Each cover had a different fairy tale or portrait.
We passed his home, suitably small and unimpressive, turned the corner and saw the new museum and surrounding grounds. Which were very impressive.
The museum is very well done. You wear earphones and as you get close to an exhibit you hear the voice track – the voice acting was top notch. One section of the museum was a collection of two dozen small items previously owned by HCA, and each had a voice actor arguing about why they were the most important item. If you are ever in the area I recommend a visit.
We stopped for lunch at a (very) old inn. Where we had traditional open-faced sandwiches. The bread was particularly dark and heavy.
We left the old part of town and visited an open-air museum where they’ve transplanted many houses and try to re-create the lifestyle. This seems to be a very Scandinavian thing to do. However, they had horse cart rides!
So, we will finish our HCA day with the classic. For as many people there were there, the state of the steps leading up to the mermaid were very hazardous.
So, my thoughts about my Copenhagen after-cruise trip. As I explained to my guide, I saw far more of “places surrounding Copenhagen” than I did Copenhagen. I enjoyed the tours, and the “Lands of Legends” took us thru centuries of Danish history. But I didn’t really get to explore the city.
How about the cruise as a whole? When you are trusting the weather for the major reason to travel, you must accept the good and the bad. This was the last tour in Denmark / Norway for the Silver Dawn; after they dropped us off they headed to Portugal. I think even the cruise destination planners knew that after October the seas get too much for tourists.
I’m glad I got to see such amazing northern lights, and it was great catching up with my cruise companions. But it was a lot of flying for two weeks or so of exploring. While I would like another chance to test my camera skills on the lights, it would need to be part of a longer cruise / tour. Maybe Alaska or the north-west passage? Stay tuned.
This ends my blog about this cruise. In February 2025 I will be visiting the far east, with the highlight of circling Japan during cherry blossom season. One more of my “to do” items. See you then, Cruiseboysians!
