Odense and Kerteminde

June 20, 2023

Our day off in Odense was everything we had hoped for -and more because we so enjoyed meeting up with old friends, Geoff & Vickie.

To be honest, we were heading in with a bit of trepidation. It had been at least 20 years since I had seen Geoff, and Ann had never met them. When we arrived, Geoff & Vickie welcomed us into their home with generous hospitality and very quickly the years separating us melted away. We sat down to a fabulous home-cooked meal and shared a delightful evening catching up and getting to know each other all over again. As a travelling outsider who is constantly wondering why things are what they are here, I particularly appreciated getting their explanations of things European and Nordic, especially Geoff's perspective as a transplanted Canadian who married a Dane, learned Danish and has fully integrated into Danish society.

Originally our Denmark plans had us following the Euro-Velo route along the southern islands, but when talking about travel plans with Rob Milne, a great friend from my university days, he reminded me that his brother Geoff had married his Danish girlfriend and moved to Odense, Denmark 25 years ago and would probably be glad to see someone from his Toronto past. We adjusted and put Odense on the route, and glad we did to re-establish the human connection.

The city has some lovely historical buildings, well-tended parks and the area where Hans Christian Andersen lived is practically a neighbourhood museum of period houses. But as cyclists, we were most impressed by the extensive network of bike paths in and around the city that were beautifully paved and better signposted than the roadways in many countries. Such infrastructure makes getting around so easy.

We rode out to the seaside town of Kerteminde, planning to go to the beach and have a swim. But, soon after we arrived, the sun went behind clouds and the temperature dropped, so we dug out our windbreakers and visited Sct. Laurentias, a 14th C church whose rather plain appearance from the outside belied the rich history and beautiful decorations within.

Now we are rested and ready to go explore Copenhagen!