Introduction to Denmark

Last Spring Break we flew to Denmark from England to meet our lovely and welcoming cousin, Dorte, and her family. At her home, she introduced us to the traditional Danish lunch of smørrebrød, which is an open faced sandwich. In assembly, there are said to be few rules beyond buttering the bread lavishly and completely hiding the bread with topping.  Bread is the beginning and rye is the most standard.   The traditional Danish rye bread is a bit different from other Scandinavian and European countries.  The Danes prefer their rye  more dark and sour.  The rye bread is rich in whole grain and is also full of dietary fiber with no fat.  It serves as a healthy alternative to other types of white bread. It should be noted that French bread and pumpernickel are also acceptable base choices.  The number of possible toppings are only to be limited by imagination. One famous restaurant in Copenhagen has over 300 smørrebrød choices.  Danish favorites include liver pate, baby prawns, pickled herring, pork, poultry, smoked eel, cheeses, sliced potatoes and salads.  It is important to create a visual appeal with a simple touch.

 

We ventured out to the city Odense with Dorte to follow the footsteps of Hans Christian Andersen.  We discovered his childhood home and many relics in his museum. 

Princess Helene von Racowitza has this to say about Mr. Andersen: 

"He turned everything into a fairy tale. It was even more fascinating when he revealed himself as the " Student of little Ida's flowers "; that is to say, while he was telling stories, he cut out the most fascinating things with scissors " castles, gardens, flowers and butterflies, elves and gnomes " in fact, all kinds of wonders. For many years I treasured a butterfly on whose outspread wings a fairy danced."  Some of his fancy cuttings are shown above.

 

Andersen always brought with him a rope that he could use as a makeshift fire escape because he was perilously afraid of fire.

 

In the Hans Christian Andersen Museum we found a reconstruction of the author's study from his last apartment in Nyhavn 18.  The reconstruction consists of nothing but original objects which have been Hans Christian Andersen own possessions.

 We're in the house where Hans Christian Andersen lived from the age of two until he was fourteen. It was from this humble home that his childhood memories sprang. The cobbler's small family dwelling is only 18 sq m in size. Above the girls are playing with shoemaking tools and below they stand in front of a bed in the wall.

We've been waiting to meet him---The Steadfast Tin Soldier.