We had intended to go to Stockholm but discovered
that the toll fees on road from Oslo would be similar to an air fare and we
would not be able to afford the trip, so we had a couple of extra days to
spare. Lynne looked at the map of Denmark and discovered that the countryside
up in the north near Odense, the second largest city, was beautiful and we
therefore booked an apartment in a local AirBnB near Bogense. The friendly and
sympathetic owner is a school teacher who also runs part of the house as a Bed
and Breakfast. We loved talking to her
It is very peaceful and is
surrounded by cornfields, green in the early summer and very close to the sea, which is just on the other side of the hill, just a short walk away down that
avenue of trees, which is full of cherry and chestnut trees
We had a choice of bedrooms, and
chose this simple but cosy room with its view of the garden, rather than the
larger imposing one. A very comfortable bed
lose
We had our own lounge, with TV tied
into Netflix
It had a bar and a table at which we could work on our computers or eat our meals
Another room could be used to
store our suitcases and hang up our clothes. There is a large bathroom and a
well fitted kitchen which also contains the large oil fired heating boiler for
the house and its central heating
At the back some space to chill
and enjoy a glass of wine or beer and some olives. It has a large fairly wild
back garden. The owner has dogs and a cat
We found this purpose built bird viewing box near us and spent some time there but the birds were all sheltering from the storm. The coast is full of salt
marshes and small bays
Good grazing for cows
A windmill on a small
canal
On a rather dreary and cold day
we headed to Bogense, which is a small historic fishing village right in the
north
Yachts shelter in the harbour
while storm clouds gather above. The weather was raw and rather like a Cape
winter
The coastline is not very
inspiring at this point. But we hear the swimming is very good in summer
Some older fishing boats...
alongside some smart yachts
Looks like one of our southern
gulls
Taking Granny for a walk in the
wind and rain
A mother duck and her brood
One had to be rescued by John
and put back in the water, as he had somehow climbed up onto the dock and lost
his mum
It is a very pretty town, with
many older traditional houses unchanged for centuries
In a one way system
Timber framed hoses abound
A cafe in the 'High
Street"
Pink plastered. The wind had
taken the right hand rose bush off the wall, but John saw the owner tying it up again later
The town hall ...
... and a timber framed inn
If you remove the cars, you could be in a town from the 19th Century. The shops have names out of
Jane Austen. This one, in a rather fairytale house, is named for its owner Mrs (Fru) Lund
and across the street was one named for a Miss (Frøken) Andersen and another for a
daughter (Haraldsdottir) which is how they address themselves
Erik Menved's Inn. The inn is the town's oldest house, built in 1543. It was named after King Eric, who renewed the market town rights of Bogense in 1288. Just waiting for the summer crowds to arrive
We explored the high street,
got captivated by the things in the local charity shop opposite the bank where
John found an almost brand new Tuxedo suit which fitted him perfectly. His
current one is near retirement so, for the grand amount of DK 250 (R500) we
bought it. He did have space in his suitcase. It will be appearing shortly.
Lynne, sadly couldn't find a thing to buy! She is normally the shopper and John
the bored onlooker
On the way back in the
countryside, we found this traditional Danish church with its stepped gable. We
only saw these gables in Denmark
And fields of scarlet poppies
Parked at the roadside, Lynne waving to John, telling him to hurry up
This corn looks different,
perhaps it is rye?
Fortuitously, we took a wrong
turning and discovered this ancient castle, Gyldensteen Castle
Originally
built in 1409, it has been continually expanded and rebuilt. It was bought by
the French nobleman Jean Henri Huguetan d'Odyck in 1719 and has been in his
family ever since
Its gatehouse
Another traditional building,
with the thatch pinned to the roof
Another aspect of the castle
Rural buildings and poppies in
the field
Sedge in the salt marshes that
looks a bit like our restios and might also be used as thatch
Lots of ducks at this time of
the year
The following day we headed
into Odense, the home of Hans Christian Andersen, author of so many fairy tales
and went in search of his home. This is an older part of the city which has been
protected. Tiny picture book houses, so small and low, with cobbled streets, one
could almost believe Disney had been involved
They all appear to be occupied
Some historic plaques and post
boxes
A restaurant, sadly closed
On the corner Hans Jensen
Street is Hans Christian Andersen's house. We peered through the windows - it
is furnished with period furniture and artefacts reflecting his stories. The front of the house has been covered by
a tourist centre in a huge glass box and a stiff entry price is charged because so many people
want to visit..
This house has original bubble
glass windows
So pretty, with hollyhocks in
front of the houses
Or old pink roses with the most
beautiful smells and the house painted to match them
And on the corner, where we
managed to find free parking, a white painted timber framed building
We had one more AirBnB night in Denmark in
a family house in Kolding
This was our very friendly host,
John, who made us feel very much at home. We like Denmark and its friendly
people. What struck us was how much of the population is young and vibrant
and onward to a night at Kiel in Germany
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