25. Odense and the Funen Village

25. Odense and the Funen Village

Hotel Knudsen's Gaard

We took our time waking up; the Hotel Knudsen’s Gaard is very nice.  The dining and breakfast an experience in itself.

Roses From the Hotel Garden

Hospital Bed

Den Fynske Landsby (The Funen Village) was our first stop that day. 

The Funen Village is as old as I am, even a bit older. It first opened in 1946. For all these years you could come and visit old Danish village and farm life of yesteryear and get an idea how it was when HCA wrote his stories. 

The Vicarage

In the Vicar's Bedroom

The exhibition is very spread out, we needed a horse and wagon to get an overview first and I am glad we did it this way. It was bucolic, yet there were people about. 

Half-Timbered Buildings With Thatched Roofs

This place has a village pond, many half-timbered buildings, gardens behind or at the side of every house, a bar and restaurant, animals, some were free roaming and even some bee hives. You stepped away from 2018 and you were in Denmark in 1820 or so. 

Acres were planted with wheat, apples hung on trees, the fencing was hand whittled, and furniture was in the houses. All that was missing were the old people, otherwise it was like a place long forgotten, popped up for your inspection. I liked it. 

Geese

Friendly Horses

Great Lunch

We always seem to have lunch at these places; in this case we had a homemade cake in the Inn. 

Walking around this place, I did notice that some items are now beyond repair. The windmill for example had lost its top. Some beehives were in the wrong spot, the heat had melted one of the hives. 

We visited the old one-room school house; saw the rectory next to the church. They even had an odd looking jail house, with a thatched roof. It was quaint!

One Room Schoolhouse

It was a good exhibit; we said hello to the geese, ducks, chickens, goats even to 2 horses grazing in front of a farm. There were no cars, trains or any kind of transportation other then the carriage that took us on our ride. We had to duck our heads when the carriage drove us under trees or through a few large doorways. There were no warning shouts; I guess it’s common sense that you watch were you are going. We strolled through the old village for about 3 hours, including our small lunch.

Tobacco Drying

Vegetable/Herb Garden

It was a bit of a mental re-adjustment to pop out of this history lesson and then get into our car to drive to downtown Odense. 

Smaller Dwelling

 The modern world is really, really far away from the way it used to be. It made me think of all the inventions I have witnessed that have been discovered during my lifetime. Wow!

Clog-Maker's House, 1862

Clogs In the Making

Roof Being Repaired

Bee Hive

This Hive Burned and the Honey Melted When Left in the Sun Too Long

Learning About Honey-Making From the Bee-Keeper

He Knows About This Stuff

24. European Adventures - Odense, Legoland, Denmark

24. Odense, Lego Land

The oldest Lego land is in Billund, Denmark.

Front Gate to Lego Land

What will it be like?  Yes, I know it’s for kids, but why not take a look.

It is on the way to Odense, well, we have to made a detour but so what, we have the time.

When we got there the parking lot was getting really full, of course it’s automated and we could drive right in, the beam closing off the parking lot was open there was nobody around, so we drove in and parked.

Entrance to the Lego Land Amusement Park

Kind of a mistake, because we saw later the beam was down, we had to get a ticket from a booth someplace in the park, then call the guy with the button on the pole and explain but he was nice…he let us go without charge.

Parking seems so logical to me, but when it is automated, machines have their own, arbitrary minds. I have my doubts about AI.

Above the Park Entrance

They wanted an admission fee of CAN $75, per person.  We looked through the fence and … it’s not the money alone, it’s just not us. Tons of children running around, amusement park rides, playful ‘romanticism and really no older folks. This was a family thing; we did not bring our Grandchildren so we turned around and left.

Just not for us. Nice for families, super nice for children!

Above the Park Entrance

Well, we saw a bit of Denmark while we drove there and now we are on the way to Odense, the birthplace of Hans Christian Anderson (HCA)!

But first we had to find our hotel and just zonk out, all this travelling is tiring.

Lego Soldiers

Lego Soldier

Map of the Park With the Lego Hotel in the Top Left Corner