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Looking at my reflection, I appear to be wearing huge gilded pantaloons, seen only to me. Children relax in a rock pool acting as sea nymphs, meanwhile in the next room sits a talking pea in a showcase, alongside a towering stack of bedding. This is the universe of H.C. Andersen (1805-1875), one of the 1800s most beloved authors. I'm visiting Odense, located on Fyn in the southern part of this Nordic country, to discover Andersen’s enduring legacy in his birthplace many decades after his death, and to experience a couple of enchanted tales of my own.

The Museum: The Andersen Museum

Andersen's House is the town's museum celebrating the writer, including his original residence. A museum representative states that in past designs of the museum there was minimal emphasis on the author's tales. The writer’s life was examined, but The Ugly Duckling were missing. For tourists who visit this place seeking storytelling magic, it was not quite enough.

The redevelopment of downtown Odense, redirecting a primary street, provided the opportunity to reconsider how the renowned native could be commemorated. A major architecture competition granted Japanese firm the Kengo Kuma team the project, with the innovative curatorial vision at the center of the layout. The remarkable timber-clad museum with connected spiralling spaces debuted to great fanfare in 2021. “We’ve tried to build a place where we don’t talk about the author, but we speak in the manner of Andersen: with humour, irony and viewpoint,” notes the curator. The outdoor spaces embrace this concept: “It’s a garden for wanderers and for large beings, it’s designed to make you feel small,” he explains, a challenge realized by thoughtful gardening, experimenting with height, proportion and numerous twisting trails in a deceptively small space.

The Author's Influence

Andersen wrote several memoirs and frequently provided conflicting accounts. The museum adopts this philosophy seriously; frequently the perspectives of his acquaintances or excerpts of correspondence are displayed to politely doubt the his narrative of incidents. “The writer is the narrator, but his account isn't always accurate,” notes the representative. The result is a engaging whirlwind tour of his personal story and creations, thinking patterns and best-loved stories. It’s stimulating and playful, for mature visitors and youngsters, with a extra underground make-believe land, the fictional village, for the smallest guests.

Discovering the City

Returning to the actual city, the modest urban center of Odense is delightful, with historic pathways and old wooden houses colored in bright colours. The Andersen legacy is all around: the traffic lights feature the writer with his distinctive top hat, bronze footmarks give a no-cost guided stroll, and there’s a outdoor exhibition too. Annually in August this focus reaches its height with the regular Andersen celebration, which honors the writer's impact through visual arts, dance, stage shows and music.

Recently, the week-long festival had hundreds of events, many were without charge. During my time in Odense, I come across artistic acrobats, ghoulish monsters and an author double telling stories. I listen to contemporary performances and witness an incredible late-night performance including acrobatic dancers lowering from the town hall and suspended from a construction equipment. Still to come during the season are lectures, creative sessions for all ages and, extending the narrative tradition beyond Andersen, the city’s annual Magic Days festival.

All good enchanted locations require a palace, and Fyn features over a hundred manors and stately homes across the island

Cycling and Exploration

Similar to most of Denmark, bicycles are the ideal method to get about in this town and a “bike path” winds through the urban core. Departing from Hotel Odeon, I ride to the complimentary port-side aquatic facility, then out of town for a route around Stige Island, a compact territory joined by a bridge to the larger island. Town dwellers relax with food here in the evening, or appreciate a peaceful time angling, aquatic activities or taking a dip.

Returning to Odense, I eat at the themed restaurant, where the menu is derived from the writer's motifs and narratives. The verse the patriotic piece appears during my meal, and proprietor the host shares excerpts, presented in English, as he introduces the meal. This is a practice repeated often in my time in Odense, the local residents love a yarn and it seems that narrating is always on the menu here.

Castle Explorations

Each wonderful fairytale destinations deserve a palace, and Fyn features over a hundred manors and stately homes throughout the region. Going on excursions from town, I explore Egeskov Palace, the region's most intact Renaissance water castle. Despite parts are available for tours, this historic site is also the personal dwelling of the noble family and his partner, the princess. I contemplate if she can feel a tiny vegetable through a pile of {mattresses