The following few (16) photos are from my early spring trip to Denmark to walk in the footsteps of Hans Christian Andersen.
Monday, May 25, 2009
The Sun As A Face
The original of this paper cut made by Hans Christian Andersen is in the H. C. Andersen Hus museum in Odense.
HCA
I spent hours in this museum. Hours. And each exhibit was more interesting than the previous one, each room had more to offer. The library room had bookshelves filled with Andersen's fairy tales in many languages, 144 to be exact. I don't know if I could name 144 languages! While I knew Andersen was a traveler (He had stayed with Charles Dickens in England, that I knew, and the Grimm Brothers in Germany.), I really understood that he was a traveler when I saw his well-worn leather satchel.
To Travel is to Live
To travel is to live. Or, as HCA put it, At reise er at leve.
Andersen entertained his hosts not only by telling (or reading) his stories, but by making paper cuts. Using large shears, he cut intricate designs, and gave them as gifts. This paper cut of an oriental mosque captures a ship sailing into Istanbul, at least that is what I see. Andersen was a great traveler, and did travel to Istanbul. He chronicled his travels in his journals and in books. Michael Booth walks in the footsteps of Andersen's 1840 journey, and shares that experience with readers in his book "Just As Well I'm Leaving."
Andersen entertained his hosts not only by telling (or reading) his stories, but by making paper cuts. Using large shears, he cut intricate designs, and gave them as gifts. This paper cut of an oriental mosque captures a ship sailing into Istanbul, at least that is what I see. Andersen was a great traveler, and did travel to Istanbul. He chronicled his travels in his journals and in books. Michael Booth walks in the footsteps of Andersen's 1840 journey, and shares that experience with readers in his book "Just As Well I'm Leaving."
Follow the Sun
In Odense, with a very soggy (because it was very rainy) guide map in my hand, I followed the sun cutouts across town, stopping at the spots indicated. There are thirteen of these markers, some in granite on the ground, some, like this at the H. C. Andersen Hus, more easily found. You can follow, virtually, by checking the website Andersen Was Here.
http://www.andersenwashere.com/default.asp?languageid=2&menuid=40&documentid=249
http://www.andersenwashere.com/default.asp?languageid=2&menuid=40&documentid=249
A Visit to the H. C. Andersen Hus
The museum dedicated to Hans Christian Andersen in Odense is built around the birthplace of the writer.
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