Birthplace of Fairy Tales

Odense is a quaint, small city in Denmark. Home of Hans Christian Anderson, its cobblestone streets, colorful houses, lush fields and meandering river were the setting of many of his fairy tales. The town still gives scope to the imagination.

Couldn't you picture a young couple from the past sneaking into this church on a Saturday at noon during the weekly organ concert?

The swelling chords coming from the silver pipes would muffle their clandestine conversation. 

Bright windows and white walls would fail to cheer the young lovers who would soon part.  An observer would understand the sorrow, when they watched the young sailor point to the ship model and the heroine cross her heart promising to pray for his safe return. 

Today, this 1000 year old city is as colorful and quaint as in by-gone days. 

Fairy tales are performed in the summer months on a grassy knoll in front of Anderson's birthplace.  An actor playing the author introduces his make-believe characters to the audience who have made the pilgrimage in his honor.

Today, as in yesteryear, citizens of Odense bike along the lovely stream which meanders along one side of the town. Visitors, as well, can rent bikes and follow the trail to the zoo and The Funen Village, where half-timbered houses from all over Denmark have been reconstructed. 

Windmills and farm buildings from the 1800s also have been carefully taken down and reconstructed in this outdoor village to preserve life as it would have been lived in Anderson's Denmark.

Just around the corner from The Funen Village visitors can stop for a feast at a five star restaurant, Sortebro Kro.

Patrons can eat inside in quaint dining rooms

or enjoy the summer breeze on the patio.

On our visit, Bill and I chose the alfresco dining. White linen tablecloths and live miniature violets in hand-thrown, white pottery vases hinted at the five-star service and food to follow.

Our young waitress was in a three-year technical training program to become a server extraordinaire. She waited on us attentively without being overly solicitous. Before the meal, we were each served two complimentary preliminary appetizers (amuse-bouches) hinting at the culinary extravaganza to follow. 

The first course was a combination of tiny potatoes, cherry tomatoes, leaks, carrots, shrimp, and eggs topped with a delicate, edible wild flower. In the citron sauce the flavors exploded. 

Afterward a young baker brought out an assortment of freshly baked breads, some hearty, some light and crispy--all delicious.

My second course was scallops and gooseberries in a melted herb butter. The presentation was pure whimsey.

The third course was a turbot in lettuce spring roll with french peas and mushrooms in clarified butter. 

Then to cleanse the palate before the main course, we were served a buttermilk cucumber sorbet.

As an entree, I enjoyed duckling while Bill had turbot.

My dessert was buttermilk sorbet with wild strawberries and lemon cookie crumbs.

Some of Bill's dessert strawberries were sliced; others were quartered, but all were smothered in a cream-strawberry puree and topped with raspberry sorbet and crushed lemon cookies. Never have strawberries been so sweet and flavorful.

Finally, as we left, our waitress handed us a miniature basket with four hand-dipped chocolates. Unforgettable!

If you are going to Denmark, put Odense on your itinerary and don't miss Sortebro Kro. The world-class cuisine and the city's charm are sure to capture your imagination.

A World-Class Read

It is true: "The world is a book, and he who stays at home reads only one page." We just returned from two weeks in Scandinavia which let us read chapters on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, and Finland. We concluded with a day-long survey of St. Petersburg, Russia. I give God's magnum opus five stars!

The trip gave me material for many blog posts illustrating and describing our very interesting world, but let me begin with a teaser, highlighting gracious interiors and exteriors found in each of these countries. 

Denmark

Denmark was the home of Hans Christian Anderson, the beloved children's storyteller whom they call  their most famous citizen.

 The bachelor author of "The Emperor's New Clothes" and "The Little Mermaid" just to mention two, never owned his own home, but lived with various families who befriended him. Here is a glimpse into the sitting room he inhabited near the end of his life. (And, we thought our gallery walls were the latest in design!)

Also in Odense, Anderson's home town, we visited The Funen Village--a reconstruction of 25 buildings which date to the 18th and 19th century. Again I smiled when glimpsing a kitchen from that era. The open shelving and skirted base cabinets reminded me that there is  "nothing new under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 1:9). This looks like Brooke Giannetti has been here, right?

Look, too, at the chevron pattern on this door from 1631.

Hm, and we think we are so avant-garde. :)

Leaving Denmark, we flew to Bergen, Norway where we began our tour of the gorgeous fjords by bus, boat, and train.

Norway

These islands of the midnight sun provided me with plenty of inspiration, inside and out...

from the famous Scandinavian interior design in restaurants (Don't you love the tile backsplash, hanging pots, and shiny heating pendants?)

to public garden design. (The pleasing combination of purple and green must be universal; I saw it in window boxes, sidewalk planters, and gardens all over Scandinavia.) 

 

From Norway we went by a bus to Sweden where we visited life-long friends. (Believe it or not, this motor coach trip was nearly the most pleasant transportation of our entire trip.)

Sweden

In Gothenburg (Goteborg on the map), our friend's home gave us a glimpse into private Scandinavian design. (I will blog on our special weekend in Gothenburg in a later post, including photos of a Swedish wedding!)

Leaving Gothenburg, we spent several days in Stockholm. Besides the palace and the Nobel Prize museum, a highlight for me was seeing the fantastic design store, Svenski Tenn, the collaboration of a designer/art teacher (Estrid Ericson) and a well-known architect, urban planner and designer (Josef Frank). 

Providentially, the beautiful store displaying their exuberant design work was only steps from our hotel! Saving the best for last, Bill let me leisurely enjoy the store's every vignette on our last morning in Sweden's capital. (A whole blog on the design center to come!)

From there we took an overnight cruise east to Helsinki, Finland.

Finland

The most memorable interior in Helsinki had to be the Temple Square Church, often called Rock Church. Begun in 1930 and completed in 1969, the cavernous sanctuary was hewn out of bedrock, with slender windows circling the space.

 The light leads the eye upward to the copper wire ceiling.

The combination of rough stone walls and copper dome produce unbelievable acoustics; consequently, conservatory students perform here each day at noon. 

After touring, shopping, and drinking tea in Helsinki, we took another cruise ship to our final destination, Saint Petersburg, Russia.

Russia

We went Saint-Petersburg primarily to see a single painting, Rembrandt van Rijn's "The Return of the Prodigal Son". The canvas is housed in The Hermitage, which is the museum/palace of Peter the Great and Catherine. The opulence of these buildings literally drops your jaw. I do believe Versailles pales in comparison. However, my interior was humbled by the message of the painting. Rembrandt visualized for us the Father's warm, forgiving embrace of his filthy, tattered prodigal son who had come home from wallowing in a distant country's party-scene. 

Thus, our journey opened fresh pages of the world's book to us, but let me conclude this first travelog by suggesting you open the pages of The Return of the Prodigal Son by Henri Nouwen. The short, profound book by the Dutch-born Catholic priest, who gave up his teaching post at Harvard to be a care-giver for the profoundly handicapped, tells the meaning of Christ's parable as revealed through the details in Rembrandt's painting. Nouwen saw himself in both the prodigal son and the elder brother, but  was moved to accept the Father's loving forgiveness. He invites us to do the same, and then to extend the same heart to others.

Celebrating Summer

Celebrate summer with me. 

At our house, a sunbonnet wears a chartreuse bow.

Budding hydrangea blossoms repeat the lime green theme. 

In the backyard, the pots are in their bursting with blossoms.

Beside the fence, wild flowers shoot spikes of pink into the sky. 

A rocking chair beckons me to sit soak in the sun's warm rays.

It's midsummer; savor the season with me.

People Over Pretty

I like to think of myself as a stage setter, arranging tablescapes and rooms to make for happy family times. This fourth of July was no exception, but rather than show you my center piece or describe my menus to you, I will share my most prized memories from the week. These involve people, not food or flowers.

Here are a few of my favorite photos from the week:

Our youngest daughter and her family arrived first, and we took a walk in the drizzling rain at Mount Gretna,
capped off with hamburgers and ice cream at The Jigger Shop.

 Tuesday found us singing "Jesus Loves Me" while Great Grandma played.

Oregon Dairy's playground and farm animals were a hit in the middle of the week.

By July fourth, everyone was here to enjoy the swimming pool.

The kids enjoyed trying water pistols and showing the grandparent's new swimming skills.

THE highlight of the week was a visit to an Amish farm on Friday.

My husband's patient even hitched her horse to their buggy and gave us all buggy rides!

As the week progressed, all the adults tried to make each child feel special. Baseball games provided an opportunity.

Our first grandchild surprised all of us by routinely getting a hit on the first pitch!

Our second oldest grandchild, was so excited about his hit
 that he carried the bat on his way around the bases. 

Our third grandchild was so happy about his home-run, that he gave himself a spontaneous two-thumbs up!

Then our adorable 20-month old watched from the sidelines.
At the next reunion, he will be in the middle of any game which involves a ball.

We will have to wait and see how our youngest two grandchildren take to baseball.

It was work to keep everyone safe, fed, and happy...but now the house is sadly quiet. I would love to have a little boy come down from upstairs or up from downstairs to retrieve these toys that were left under the furniture.

These two figures were abandoned under a table, evidence of one of many make-believe games.

 Alas, it is not to be. I will have to live on my mental snapshots of priceless memories. They are more indelible than fading flowers or left-overs.

Clothing for Women of a Certain Age

I am no svelte model. My husband wishes I were, but alas, I am half-a-foot too short and 20-or-so-pounds "sterling" too heavy. However, after years of dressing myself and way too much time in front of dressing room mirrors discarding way too many options, I happened upon a few styles that minimize the negative and optimize the positive.

If I have your attention, let me introduce you to a few of my favorite designers.

I am an Oska groupie. I never thought of my style as "artsy", but I do love the edge of this German company. I chuckled when I read how Stefanie Schmitz (Design) described an Oska fan, "I see the Oska woman as a mature personality, who is individual and authentic in her attitude towards life. Humanity and a sense of culture make up her values."  Now, I could not tell you what it means to be "individual and authentic in your attitude towards life" nor how "humanity and sense of culture" could "make up values", but unfortunately, I do understand the "mature personality" bit.  Oh phooey, I don't care if the style is mature; I think it's cool!

My second go-to clothing company is PLANET. Lauren Grossman, this woman's apparel designer, describes her clothes as "inspired, soft, and flowing" with a Japanese aesthetic. I don't know about you, but I don't think only the mature woman would appreciate this style.

Finally, clothes by J McLaughlin are a bit more classic than pieces by Oska or PLANET, but they are timeless and make the wearer look timeless.

Sometimes you can find these designers' clothes on sale on the internet. If you do find something you like by any of these companies, on sale, in your size, snap them up. They launder and wear well. And, even if Madison Avenue uses young, beautiful women to model the three brands, take my word for it, they make even a middle-aged "broad" look and feel great.