The Garden of Denmark

Known as the Garden of Denmark, pastoral and picturesque Funen is Denmark's second-largest island. Aero, Langeland, and Taasinge are three of the most popular of the nearby 90 islands. The rural scenery of these islands, with their thatched farmhouses and quaint windmills scattered around the landscape, has an irresistible charm that has remained unchanged for centuries.

Odense is the largest town on Funen. This pleasant city offers the best of both worlds - a busy social hub and charming areas offering quiet areas for rest and relaxation. The pride of Odense is that it is the birthplace of one of the world's most famous storytellers - Hans Christian Andersen. Odense has many attractions related to Andersen, including the Hans Christian Andersen Hus (House) and Hans Christian Andersen Haven (Garden), an attractive riverside park. The museum contains a library with international editions of the works of H. C. Andersen as well as a beautiful collection of pictorial art, inspired by his poetry. In small cinemas around the museum you can watch movies with fairy-tales. The shop carries an extensive selection of his works in many languages. During the summer period H. C. Andersen Paraden plays pieces of music from the fairy-tales in the garden behind the museum. The heart of the museum is Hans Christian Andersen's birthplace, the small, late seventeenth century, half-timbered house on the street corner.

Other attractions include the Fyns Kunstmuseum, an art gallery containing a fine collection of Danish art, and the Funen Village, an open-air museum featuring a reconstructed 19th-century village (see details below). Take a bicycle ride around Funen with its gentle hills and pretty scenery and enjoy the sights and sounds of Kerteminde, a sleepy seaside town flanked by impressive sandy beaches. Make the short journey to the Hindsholm peninsula, a delightful rural area dotted with 16th-century churches and old, half-timbered farmhouses. Stroll through the picturesque cobbled streets of the town of Faaborg, whose older quarters retain much of their 17th-century roots. The long, narrow island of Langeland has plenty of fine sandy beaches and a wealth of cycle paths. A haven for the amateur bird watcher with a couple of sanctuaries located to the south, Langeland is dotted with farming villages and windmills and is characterized by a laid-back approach to life. Visit the bijou town of Tranekaer, whose striking salmon-colored castle dates from 1200, and enjoy a traditional Danish meal at one of the local restaurants. Take a trek off the beaten track to visit Aero, an idyllic island with rolling hills and thatched houses. Popular with yachters, Aero is home to the enchanting little town of Aeroskobing that has been preserved in its entirety. Amble down narrow cobblestoned streets and admire the 17th-century houses and their decorative doorways.

Visiting the Funen Village (Den Fynske Landsby) is like going back to the times of the Hans Christian Andersen. The setting is characteristic of Denmark centuries ago, with its half-timbered buildings, blooming gardens with fences, domestic animals, village pond and village street. The open-air museum comprises more than 25 houses and farms from about 1700-1800; a forge, water and wind mill, vicarage, school, poorhouse and farming operated as they would have been long ago. During the summer the village is vitalized. It is populated, the farmers work in the fields, the houses are whitewashed and thatched, and the cook has probably lit the fire in the stove of the vicarage. Take the picnic basket along and enjoy the peace and the lovely atmosphere of the village. You will also find a museum shop and an inn.

The Odense Zoo is the most visited attraction on Funen. The most recent additions to the park include new grounds for the chimpanzees and extensions to the tiger grounds, where the tigers now prowl the "Siberian Pine Forest". In total, Odense Zoo is home to 1274 animals of 151 species. An extensive program is underway at the Zoo in endangered species preservation. Thirteen species are part of an international breeding project (EEP) which secures a genetically healthy population of the selected species. Meet mammals, insects, birds, fish, amphibians and reptiles of the Odense Zoo, - a fascinating presentation of the animal kingdom awaits you.

Funen also is home to Scandinavia's largest collection of live reptiles and amphibians from all around whole world. The terrarium gained notoriety for Scandinavia's first Nile crocodile in captivity. You can also get close to snakes, both poisonous and non-poisonous, frogs, monitors, lizards, chameleons, bird spiders, iguanas, kangaroos, raccoons and monkeys. Once, shortly before the twentieth birthday of the terrarium, an unauthorized count showed that Terrariet in Vissenbjerg housed more than 2,342,717 animals!

An unusual and fascinating park (Idéhaven "De 7 Haver" (The Seven Gardens) in Ebberup) presents gardens from seven different European countries. The countries are: Finland - Finnish birch groves with bulbous plants in grass. France - the French rose garden with the latest roses. Sweden - the 12-meter (40-foot) wide granite stairway with juniper berries, heather and the plants of the Swedish lakes. Switzerland - also a 12-meter wide granite stairway with 50 species of alpine plants. Italy - a Pompeian stone back garden with water surface and subtropical plants. England - extensive pastures with eight rhododendron sections as well as a heather section, a fern collection, a herb yard, a kitchen garden and old roses. Denmark - the Danish flowery meadow with wild plants, spring grove and creeks feeding three lakes in a forest garden, double stone dikes, eight granite stairways as well as many tree and plant collections. The park also displays a particularly impressive collection of plants of the bible.

Fjord- og Bæltcentret (The Fjord and Belt Center) is a setting for both entertainment and serious research. The audience can experience the mysteries of the ocean - from below - in the 50-meter (approx. 200-foot) long underwater viewing tunnel. You can get into close contact with crabs, starfish and fish of the Danish waterways. The biggest crowd pleaser is the porpoises - also called the mini whales of Denmark. Watch the porpoises get fed - either from the outdoor bridge or from the underwater tunnel. Fjord- og Bæltcentret maintains an ongoing porpoise program as part of their behavioral research and monitoring of the living conditions of porpoises in Danish waters. For example, the research program has a goal of significantly reducing the number of porpoises ending up in the nets of fishermen.

A unique experience awaits you at the Maritimt Center (Maritime Center) in Svendborg, where you can sail onboard one of the old sail ships. When the engine stops and the sails are set on the century-old ships, only the waves, the wind, the groaning of the woodwork and the enthusiastic voices fill the ears. This is a maritime experience for those who would like to take part in setting sails, being at the helm and helping with the many meters of ropes. The skipper will demonstrate maritime skills, such as how to read a chart or tie the right knot. From July until September, day trips with the old ships are arranged from many of the ports of Funen. Usually the sails take you around one or more of the cosy inlets. Each island has its own history, traditions and sights - perhaps the skipper will tell you a tall tale or two during the sail. Let wind and weather set the pace and surrender to the fantastic waterways around Funen.

While in Svendborg, check out a bit of local history played out in 1889 on the neighboring island of Taasinge. Thanks to the movie, Elvira Madigan, the story of the torrid and tragic love affair between a circus performer (Elvira Madigan) and her nobleman lover is known the world over. Their graves may be found in the cemetery at Landet Church, under the large oak. If you go looking, note that Elvira's real name is Hedvig Antoinette Isabella Eleonore Jensen and her lover is Lieutenant Sixten Sparre. http://home8.inet.tele.dk/didierg/elvira.html

Also on Taasinge, is the early 17th century castle, Valdemars Slot which is privately owned and the largest of its kind in Denmark. Construction of the main building was started in 1639 by order of Christian IV and it took five years to finish it. The splendid rooms contain noble rococo furniture and art from the years 1600-1700. Valdemars Slot gives you three museums at one visit. Experience the National Danish Yachting Museum (Danmarks Museum for Lystsejlads), where the history of Danish yachting is vitalized and the historic sailing-boats are being restored. Another building contains the Danish National Toy Museum and a large hunting and trophy museum, one of the three largest in Europe, containing collections of trophies and ethnographies is situated at the top floor of the castle.

And as you are visiting castles, make sure you see the spectacular Egeskov Slot. It is described as the best preserved Renaissance island fort in Europe. The base consists of oak piles which are placed in a lake. You will not only get to see an impressive castle from 1554. The entry fee also includes admission to the park, the maze, the play forest and all in all five museums including displays of horse-drawn carriages, cars and aircrafts.

Fertile in both history and landscape, the Funen, Langeland, Aero, and Taasinge offer a break from the norm. Take time to relax and explore the beauty and vitality of these islands whose homely ways and laid-back manner will warm the heart and revitalize the spirit. You will enjoy your visit and come away refreshed.