I stopped by the train station (since it is on the way to my hotel), the day before, and researched how to buy the ticket for Odense. The ticket office was open, and I was able to ask the ticket seller a couple of questions, but it was fairly simple. Steen and I had been messaging, so he was able to give me some accurate information about prices, etc.
Saturday, I woke up early, had breakfast, and I was at the train station 1/2 hour before the train was scheduled to leave. I purchased my ticket at a ticket machine, and it was pretty straightforward. Once I had the ticket, it was just a matter of finding the right terminal and train. That too went off without a hitch.
Before I knew it I was on my way to Odense. I had made plans to call Steen around noon time so that we could have lunch and then do some sightseeing, so it gave me some time to do some sightseeing on my own before we met.
The ride took about 1.5 hours, and we traveled past some very beautiful countryside. Once you leave the city, the population is more sparse, and houses turn into large farms and the countryside turns into rolling green hills. Some of the smaller cities along the way also looked interesting and might be worth visiting another time.
When I got to Odense, it was just a matter of following all the other people who were headed in the same direction. It seems this is a very popular getaway for a lot of people (not just people from Copenhagen) - and I can understand why.
As soon as I reached the city and walked out the front door, I was approached by one of those bike taxi guys who insisted that he was the best ride in town and could give me all the history I needed. I thanked him, but I told him I was going to meet a friend.
He obviously didn't believe me, because he then said, "Well, I bet I know more history than he does." Now remember I have a knack for spotting, attracting and recognizing crazy people. This guy wasn't crazy, he was just kinda upset that I wouldn't engage his services. So, I asked if he could tell me where the Town Hall was, and he said, "Bye Bye," and pedaled away. Oh, well, what are you going to do.
I knew where the Town Hall was located, but I just wanted to be friendly. Anyway, I headed off on my own with nary a need for a rickshaw and did very well, thank you very much.
On my way to the Town Hall, here are some of the things I saw:
Not far from the Town Hall is the Cathedral/Abbey of St. Canute - http://www.wikiwand.com/en/St._Canute%27s_Abbey,_Odense - It's a beautiful church with a great garden.
I forgot to mention, that as I was walking through this area, I met up with bike/taxi guy again, and he asked me, "Where's your friend?"
This guy was starting to make me just a little annoyed, but I held back, and told him the truth. When I left him, he was off trying to convince another tourist he was the "best ride in town..." 0h, well... You can't let them drag you down, can you.
I headed back to where I saw a whole bunch of restaurants and found one that advertised "free wifi" - so, I went inside and ordered a cup of coffee, and explained to the pretty young girl who helped me that I was trying to reach a local person and needed to use the wifi.
When she saw my name, she asked if I spoke Spanish, and I told her that I did. She then opened up and told me all about moving to Odense from Barcelona (we bonded). It was nice to talk with her in Spanish.
After a few minutes, I was having no luck. My phone got a signal, but when I tried calling, it told me to stop trying, it just wasn't going to happen. The nice young girl came over to my table (I'm assuming she saw how frustrated I was), and asked if she could help me. I explained what was going on, and she then offered to let me use her phone!!!! Didn't I tell you people are wonderful!!!!
She went downstairs to get her phone, and when she brought it up, I dialed, and I was able to get Steen almost immediately. He was in the area, but he had not yet heard about the restaurant where I was having coffee, so I told him I would wait outside of the coffee shop, and look for him.
I gave the young lady a generous tip and thanked her profusely for being so kind. I also told my new friend Steen to check up on her and treat her nicely.
After I finished my coffee, I went outside and started looking for my friend, and in a short while, he appeared with his bike. We had a really nice reunion, and then started hunting for a place to go have lunch. Since this was his town, I left it up to him to decide.
We found a real nice place not far away from the coffee shop, and there was a "toy" flea market going on in the plaza where the restaurant was located. So that was fun too. Lots of parents and kids shopping for toys on a Saturday in Hans Christian Andersen's birth city????
We decided to do the buffet at the restaurant, and there was plenty to choose from. They were still serving a lot of breakfast items, but there were cheeses, sausages, pates, and other fruits and veges that were just too good to pass up. It was a good/ample meal.
Steen and I had a really nice visit and shared a lot of information about travel and hopes and dreams, etc. Great day to spend a lunch talking about traveling and what works and what doesn't and when you got into trouble - Seems he's done a lot of traveling, and it was like sitting at the feet of the master listening to him retell his adventures.
After lunch, he showed me his house and we had a cup of tea in his garden and continued our conversation. Turns out that he also opens his house to "Couch Surfing" - another resource on the web - https://www.couchsurfing.com/ - for finding short-term accommodations when you travel. He told me about his guests, and how much he enjoyed meeting new people. Thanks again, Steen, for your wonderful hospitality.
We then walked around the town, and he showed me the various tributes that were made to Mr. Andersen by the town with statues representing characters in his books. The best part was hearing the stories about the town itself, and seeing all the quaint houses:
Steve
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