Odense, Denmark

 We have moved on from a great stay in Copenhagen to Odense which is the third largest city in the country. However it is only a small city with about about 200,000 people.

We took the train for about an hour and half to get there crossing a long bridge that joined the island where Copenhagen is located to Funan island where Odense is found. Denmark is known for its’ many bridges as the country is built on many islands.

As we passed by we could see that there were a lot of farms along the way, this area of Denmark produces a lot of agricultural products…

And windmills everywhere including the ocean…

Denmark was a pioneer in developing wind power in the 1970s and today almost half of the power in the county is produced from the wind.

We had a wonderful Airbnb in Odense hosted by a very kind man who picked us up from the train station and was very helpful to us. His apartment attached to his house was small but very cosy…

He is an artist of found things and he makes lamps out of old musical instruments such as the one in the corner…

He also had a beautiful garden…

We had a couple of days here, one with rain and the other with sunshine so the first day we visited Hans Christian Andersen museum…

He was born in Odense in 1805 and his life and writing is celebrated in unique ways in this place…

I remember his fairy tales like The Ugly Duckling,

Princess and the Pea and Thumbelina but he was a prolific writer of many things…

The exhibits were very interactive and we enjoyed our visit here…

Recognize this bed? 

And this image? 

He was born in this house to a humble family but became quite famous because of the success of his writings. It is said that he found more fame after he died. 

The view from his room…

His house which he shared with an extended family…

As we explored the city he was everywhere…

Even in the ocean down by the harbour…

Odense is one of Denmark’s oldest cities with evidence that it was around for 4000 years.It is also the site of one of the first Viking settlements in the country. 

There are many older parts to the city that we found as we walked and walked…

Lots of cobblestone streets…

This pub has been standing since 1683…lots of pints have been had here! 

Odense has the largest Lutheran cathedral on the island and we stopped by for a look…

It was built in the 1300s and restored in the 1800s, it is called St Knud Cathedral after a Viking king who took refuge in it during a peasant revolt. However they did kill him and his brother who both now rest in the crypt under the church…

Don checking out the brothers…

There are many cultural venues in the city often located in renovated industrial areas such as this one in an old cloth factory…

Also quite modern ones like the new Music Hall…

Odense’s harbour was built in the 19th century when the city was busy with shipping and trading…

But now like many harbour fronts it is being developed as a residential and entertainment space…

Lots of apartments built on the canals…

We watched a game of basketball where the teams played in kayaks…

Lots of places to sit and eat…

The bathing huts by the new public bath…

The Danes love their food halls…this one in an old warehouse by the docks…

Like many cities Odense also has a large pedestrian centre…

On the sunny day we decided to take a boat up the river that runs through the city…

Everything was so green…

Many families out enjoying the warmest day so far this Spring…

One of the bridges across the river…

The best way to move the kids out and about on a sunny day…

The Danes are outdoor people, we always see them walking, running, biking and in this case going for a canoe ride on the river…

Some of the large properties along the river…


The city is very green with lots of places to walk and enjoy the outdoors and view the many sculptures around the city…

We stopped to enjoy our lunch in the sun as well…

We also noticed that there are lots of street markets selling flowers, food etc. even in the rain…

A bright spot on a dreary day…

Eggs and fish for sale…

Don enjoying his smoked herring on a stick, he says it’s delicious, I’ll take his word for that…

And one other food fact is that Denmark is just as expensive as Iceland…we decided to eat out one evening for a change and
decided to try some Vietnamese food…

This plate and a bowl of pho soup with two glasses of lemonade cost 76 dollars so back to cooking our own meals! 

Odense was a great second stop, we enjoyed the smaller city feel and it was a very walkable city. The people were friendly and often stopped to talk to us and see where we were from. One guy had served in the Air Force in Goose Bay so he was quite familiar with our province. His biggest memory was how cold it was! 

We are looking forward to our next stop soon…