A weekend in Western Denmark

So, I've returned from a wonderful weekend in western Denmark with a new perspective on what Denmark is, instead of just what Copenhagen is. Here is the general route that we took over the weekend. I got to know some really cool people, and we stayed in an absolutely gorgeous hostel in Skanderborg -a definite contender for highlight of the trip.

Day 1

We left Copenhagen at around 745AM for Odense, crossing the second longest bridge in the world (or so I'm told). We started off the weekend by touring a kindergarten that was comprised of 90-95% ethnic children from places like Somalia, Turkey, Palestine, etc. The kindergarten was in a heavily populated immigrant neighborhood that was referred to as 'a danish ghetto' only because of the public housing complexes, but there were hardly any signs of blight or crime, and I felt like I was walking through a nice apartment complex. Anyways, we spent some time there talking with the guy in charge and learning about the intensive danish language classes that they offer to children with no danish background. We also learned how they try to 'socialize' or prepare these children for the danish lifestyle by mixing with other, more ethnically danish kindergartens. The highlight of this part of the trip was playing outside with the kids on some, what looked to be homemade, bike-cars.

We took off for Odense, a city of around 100,000 inhabitants in the center of Denmark. Here we were on our own for lunch, and I went to a nice Italian restaurant named "Mama's". I think our waitress was composed more of plastic than flesh, and some of the people I was with didn't exactly get what they were expecting for food, but nonetheless I had some decent to pretty-decent penne with beef and tomato-cream sauce for a reasonable price (as reasonable as it gets here in Denmark). Odense is also the birthplace of the famous writer/artist/creator Hans Christian Andersen. If the name isn't ringing a bell think 'The Ugly Duckling', 'Thumbelina', and 'The Little Mermaid'. The town is extremely proud to be his hometown, and we visited the house he was born in, the H. C. Andersen children's museum, and the adult museum the following day-all of which were very enjoyable.


After lunch we checked into our hostel which was not really what comes to mind when you hear the word 'hostel', but rather when you hear the words 'sweet-ass hotel'. My roommates and I took a walk in the city and got a feel for it before we took off again as a group for the 'Kultur Hus' (Culture House). This was truly one of the most memorable visits in the trip. Upon entry of this so-called 'culture house' I was a little confused as to what exactly it was, and why it was even called a house of culture, but when I left, I knew why. Basically it's a center for mentally handicapped people of any age where they are employed as musicians, artists, bartenders, fabric-makers, and anything in between. The idea behind it roots itself in the fact that a lot of what determines your sense of identity is your occupation -and this is probably the most important aspect of identity in Denmark. In Denmark, the mentally handicapped recieve a considerable sum of money from the government in order to be able to live. Sure, it's enough for food and rent, but money isn't the sole answer. The culture house offers a full-out, top of the line music studio, a bar and cafe with kitchen, a computer lab, an art studio, a fabric/textile making room, a theatre, and a safe environment where the mentally challenged can socialize, and learn important real-life lessons. My favorite part was the music studio -we actually got to hear a performance of the band and it was amazing, every member was rockin' out and having fun. Oh yeah, they provided us with bottled cokes -I think I had like 4 of them by the time I left...

We returned to the hostel briefly, and then headed out to dinner at a Danish-style buffet located right in town. Four words -All you can eat. I don't really know if I really need to say anything else, other than it was delicious and a good group bonding time. After dinner we hung out in the hostel for a bit and hit the town, a smaller and less routey atmosphere than the Copenhagen nightlife.


Day 2

I woke up at the crack of 8AM and was one of the first people to enjoy the bread, jam, cheese, juice, and delicious coffee provided by the hostel. It was a good morning, and after everyone was packed up we checked out and headed for the Hans Christian Andersen museum. We first visited the children's museum which was quite the interactive and wimsicle experience. This museum uses the imagery and creativeness of H. C. Andersen in an interactive way that prompts kids to actively engage themselves and participate in the fairytales that have become culturally ingrained into their lives. They also have a really nice art space in the upstairs that is illuminated beautifully with an abundance of skylights and windows. The art supplies are top quality and some of the artwork that was in there was amazing, and it was all made by the kids! After the children's museum we headed across the way to the adult museum where I learned much more than I knew there was to learn about Hans Christian Andersen. I'll spare you with the details, because it took me about an hour and a half to read his whole life story -time well spent. One of the more interesting things that struck me as a surprise was his ability to draw and create paper cut-outs. The blue, elaborate paper cut-out below was his last and most elaborate.

After a few hours of exploring in the museum we went out to lunch and got some cheap falafel that hit the spot pretty hardcore. These were our last hours in Odense, and reflecting back on it, it was quite an experience and I would like very much to go back sometime -it's only an hour and half by train from Copenhagen!

So we boarded the bus and Otto -"Yo Otto!!"- drove us out to a danish design museum that offered a breathtaking view of a lake with a small town situated on the coast. The museum itself was filled with innovative, creative, and sometimes downright strange furniture and art. I snapped some photos of the art, but as I was setting up my camera for a panoramic shot of the sunlit grass in the foreground of the beautiful lake and danish town it died...I was quite pissed, and because it is a lithium battery I couldn't buy any batteries (either way, the museum didn't sell any). Hopefully I'll be able to snag some pictures from people I was with and give you guys a sense of the beauty and serenity that this view created.

So after a long day of visiting museums and fartin' around we boarded the bus once again and set off for Skanderborg (see map above) for our hostel. This was probably the most beautiful hostel that I'll ever have been at. It was just outside the town of Skanderborg situated amidst a dense forest. The rooms and cabins were situated a stones throw away from the biggest lake in Denmark. As we arrived the sun had begun to set, and it was one of those moments that you really can't describe in words. At this point, I was pretty pissed my camera died, but decided to try to turn it on anyways. I managed to get 3 pictures, and I stole some from my friend, but once again, it's one of those "you had to be there" moments. (Photo courtesy of Vicki). We ate dinner at the hostel and talked about our experiences thus far in a discussion type setting, led by our fantastically goofy professor, Jan. After dinner he proceeded to serenade us with some Flamenco style guitar. It was quite elegant and beautiful. We proceeded to a bowling alley in town and stormed that place like nobody's business. High score for the night -112...yeah, I'm on my way to becoming pro. It was a grand ol' time, and we returned to the hostel to find another group of DIS kids eating dinner and drinking wine -the business kids. One of the guys in our group, and my roommate for both nights -Maury- borrowed Jan's guitar and proceeded to tear it up to an extent that this particular guitar probably had never been torn. We both played each other some shit, but for the most part Maury provided the entertainment of the night as he sang the party favorites at the business kids' cabin all night. The stars were bright, the moon was shining, and everyone was happy.

Day 3

I awoke again at the sharp crack of 8AM and was, once again, the first person down to enjoy the delicious, and eerily similar breakfast of bread, jam, cheese, cornflakes, and coffee provided by the hostel. We packed up and left the hostel for Århus (see above map), the second largest city in Denmark with a population of 300,000. As I was giving a synopsis of the trip to my host mom I referred to this city as Copenhagen's little brother -I'm not sure if I heard that on the guided bus tour that we received upon our arrival, or if I just coined it myself, but I use the term because the city tries to emulate Copenhagen's big-city feel in every way. There's even a royal palace that is used occasionally by the royal family as a sort of second home. It's a beautiful town that centers around it's harbor, and I would also very much like to go back to this city and explore.

After the bus tour we went to a place called Den Gamle By (The old town). It's one of the most popular tourist attractions in Denmark and it features authentic old-town buildings dating back as early as the 1500's. After industrialization, there was a mass disappearance of these types of town centers as they were replaced with factories and the new metropolis. This old town includes everything that would be in a traditional town anytime before the age of industrialization like a blacksmith, a leathermaker, a general store, a barber, etc. They really try to be authentic, and it was very interesting to just be in this kind of surrounding. The weather was not so nice and our tour guide was not so interesting, so most of the time I was just walking around and goofin' with the gang. Again, I was camera-less for this portion of the trip, but I'll probably be able to steal some pictures from someone eventually (above: how I felt without my camera...but actually a picture that was in the Kultur Hus in Odense drawn by a mentally handicapped person).

After a brief traditional Danish lunch in the old town we headed off for a drastic shift in time and focus, to the museum of modern art in Århus. This was really a design spectacle, for there was a huge atrium in the middle of the 8-floored complex, and the outside of the building was an atypical clean and modern red-brick style of architecture. The stairs spiraled up all the way from the basement to the top of the building, and you could even go out on the roof and see a semi-breathtaking view of the city. There was one exhibit that really was amazing, and without a picture words won't do it justice, but I'll try. It was basically a 15ft, incredibly realistic sculpture of a boy wearing nothing but shorts (giant shorts) crouched close to the ground with his head inbetween his hands looking out into space with a reserved, weak, and helpless look. It was amazingly well done and extremely creepy to look at. Other than that, it was a standard modern art museum with multiple floors and an innumerable amount of work each amazing and thought-provoking in their own way.

After this museum we boarded the bus for one final bus ride with our busdriver, Otto -"they call them fingers, but I've never seen then fing." It was about a 5 hour drive back to Copenhagen, and we watched 'A Beautiful Mind' on the way -a phenomenal movie. Everyone was excited to get back, riding on the high that was acheived in a few short days in western Denmark.


If you read this whole thing, congratulations, you pretty much experienced western Denmark and don't ever even have to go there! Just kidding of course, you should go there because it was amazing. I hope whoever's reading this appreciates the depth and time I put into it, and a little feedback would be nice every once in a while -so don't be afraid to comment on whatever, whenever you want.

Most epic post ever.