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In the mirror, I seem to have on oversized shimmering pantaloons, visible exclusively in my view. Kids play in a water feature pretending to be sea nymphs, and adjacent rests a chatting legume in a showcase, next to a imposing stack of cushions. This is the world of the beloved author (1805-1875), among the 1800s highly cherished authors. I’m in Odense, located on Fyn in the south of the Danish kingdom, to explore Andersen’s enduring legacy in his native city many decades after his death, and to experience a couple of fairytales of my own.

The Museum: H.C. Andersen's House

The H.C. Andersen Museum is the local cultural center celebrating the author, incorporating his original residence. A museum representative explains that in past designs of the museum there was little focus on Andersen’s stories. His personal history was studied, but The Ugly Duckling were nowhere to be found. For visitors who come to Odense in search of storytelling magic, it was not quite enough.

The renovation of Odense city centre, diverting a major road, provided the opportunity to rethink how the local celebrity could be celebrated. An international design contest awarded the Japanese company the renowned designers the commission, with the museum's fresh perspective at the center of the structure. The distinctive timber-clad museum with interwoven spiralling spaces launched to significant attention in 2021. “We have attempted to design an environment where we don’t talk about the writer, but we talk like him: with wit, sarcasm and perspective,” notes the expert. Even the gardens follow this philosophy: “This is a landscape for wanderers and for large beings, it's created to create a feeling of diminutiveness,” he explains, a challenge accomplished by thoughtful gardening, experimenting with verticality, proportion and many winding paths in a surprisingly compact space.

Andersen's Impact

The author penned multiple personal accounts and regularly changed his story. The exhibition embraces this concept to heart; typically the views of his friends or fragments of written messages are shown to subtly challenge the author’s own version of happenings. “The writer is the guide, but his account isn't always accurate,” says the curator. The result is a compelling swift exploration of the author's biography and work, thinking patterns and best-loved narratives. This is thought-provoking and whimsical, for grown-ups and youngsters, with a extra basement fantasy realm, the fictional village, for the children.

Visiting the Town

Back in the physical town, the small city of the municipality is delightful, with stone-paved roads and old wooden houses finished in bright colours. The writer's influence is ubiquitous: the street signals show the storyteller with his distinctive formal headwear, brass footprints provide a free pedestrian route, and there’s a art walk too. Annually in August this focus peaks with the annual HC Andersen festival, which celebrates the writer's impact through creativity, performance, drama and melodies.

During my visit, the week-long celebration had numerous performances, most of which were without charge. During my time in the city, I come across colorful performers on stilts, ghoulish monsters and an Andersen lookalike telling stories. I experience contemporary performances and witness an amazing nocturnal display with acrobatic dancers lowering from the town hall and dangling from a mechanical arm. Still to come during the season are presentations, family art workshops and, expanding the storytelling legacy beyond Andersen, the city’s regular Magic Days festival.

Each wonderful magical places deserve a palace, and the island contains numerous historic homes and stately homes throughout the region

Cycling and Exploration

As in much of the country, cycles are the perfect means to travel around in Odense and a “bicycle route” meanders through the downtown area. Departing from the local hotel, I pedal to the public harbour-side swimming pool, then beyond the city for a loop around Stige Island, a tiny landmass linked by a road to the primary land. Town dwellers have outdoor meals here in the evening, or take pleasure in a peaceful time angling, aquatic activities or swimming.

Returning to town, I eat at the themed restaurant, where the food selection is based on the writer's motifs and stories. The verse the national ode is highlighted at the restaurant, and owner the host shares excerpts, presented in English, as he presents each course. This is a practice repeated often in my time in Odense, the local residents enjoy storytelling and it appears sharing tales is always on the menu here.

Historic Estate Tours

Each wonderful fairytale destinations need a palace, and the island features 123 castles and stately homes throughout the region. Taking day trips from the city, I visit Egeskov Palace, the region's best-preserved Renaissance water castle. Despite parts are available for tours, the castle is also the personal dwelling of the aristocratic owners and his partner, the royal resident. I ponder if she might sense a small legume through a stack of {mattresses