Odense, Jewell of Denmark

Odense in 1977 had almost a perfect confluence of beauty, convenience, and domesticity.   Tourists usually know it for being the home of Hans Christian Andersen, but the city fathers couldn’t have done a better job of making them feel at home as soon as they step off the train.  Immediately you’re presented with the remarkable broad lawns and flowers of the King’s Garden.  That might not seem so rare, but after traveling so much in so many countries, I appreciated the change of scenery from the dreary rail yards and the other unpleasant sights and sounds of non-Scandinavian cites.  

 By the way of Google technology, Street Level, I’m assured that not much has changed in all the years except for the train station’s façade and concourses being made overly modern.  I remember the quaint hotel that I stayed in for a couple of days.  It’s now the Danshostel Odense, a four story building with a small elevator.  Unfortunately, new management has changed it to the Spartan looks of a youth hostel.  Then, I had my own room and a TV.  They even served me High Tea on silver a tray - something unexpected and memorable to this day: cookies, jams, desserts.  There were no tea bags and even the cone shaped strainer was silver.  I felt like the Joad family (Grapes of Wrath) entering the government work camp.

 

That’s not all.  Even the small cemetery across the street was remarkably beautiful even though it was overcrowded by American standards.  Of course, King’s Garden with its Odense Castle is the big attraction.  I had barely used my 35mm Minolta SRT 202 and had little idea on how to use it with all this eye candy. The telephoto lens was actually good at close ups, but I didn’t know enough about framing a picture in order to avoid shooting St. Albans church’s steeple on the horizontal.

 

As I wondered about the park I could not help noticing that there were actually people in it.  Most parks here in the United States seem to be places to be avoided or, at best, for reunions in reserved covered buildings.  In Odense families with children actually use the parks.  It was also refreshing to see people with blond and red hair after so many years of Dumb Blonde jokes and red hair taunting.  It was evident to me that racial cohesion produces a sort of calmness and domestic contentment even in a socialist state.  The following day I would see more of this fairy tale world with a long walk along the Odense River where I saw some weird squirrels.