Nyborg and Odense- Denmark

All right, sorry for the long break there.  It's just that it is summer- heat and all that.  It also means that I haven't had much of a desire to write anything since I have been having to much fun eating, drinking and sightseeing.  Right now, we are in Bulgaria on the Black Sea just chilling out with all the Brits (more on that later).  But, I do know that you are missing a month and a half here, so let me take you back.

A long, long time ago in a city (and country) far, far away...

Odense, Denmark- home of Hans Christian Andersen.  We actually stayed in Nyborg, Denmark, another town about an hour and a half away from Odense.  It was right on the water, so we were able to see all the boats and cars coming across the loooong bridge.  It was actually beautiful.  We got there just in time for their celebration of Midsummer.  There is a witch burning (a doll with fireworks in her head) on a bonfire.  We ate dinner at the hotel that night.  The food was good, but not great, so there is no need for me to tell you all about it.

On to the villagers with torches!!

It was a fun evening.  I even got to throw my torch into the bonfire.  Anyway...back to the food and drink.

The next day we headed into Odense to see the home of H.C.A.  It was raining and chilly out, so it didn't make it a really fun day for sightseeing.  For lunch, we ended up at Den Gamle Kro, which has been serving people since 1683.  I forgot to take pictures of the food, but hopefully you can all find it in your hearts to forgive me.  I did remember, though, to take pictures of the restaurant.

The food was very good.  I had schnitzel with some roast potatoes that were shared and a salad.  We just opted for a glass of the house wine instead of a bottle/glass of something else.  The restaurant had a certain charm to it and was very nice.  It did take you back in time.  All in all, a place that I would go back to.

The next day dawned and with it our last full day in Denmark.  We headed out for more sightseeing.  Of course, it rained some more, but that can't really be helped, can it?

For our meal that day, we ate at one of the few restaurants in Nyborg (apart from the hotel restaurant), Central Cafeen.  The inside is covered in various sailor style hats from high school graduation caps to work hats.  It also is very dated and seems in need of some sprucing up.  But don't let that fool you!  The food was some of the best that we had in Denmark.

Quick side note- since winters are very harsh, when it is summer people are outside in full force.  If people can sit outside to eat, they will.  When we went inside, our waitress kept insisting that we sit outside.  We didn't want to and she just didn't get it.  She kept giving us strange looks as if to say, "What the heck is wrong with you people."

We had some Italian wine that wasn't very memorable, or so much like the others that we have had, that it didn't leave an impression.  It was good though.  I had the fried trout with a brown butter sauce.  Lynn had the salmon with roast veggies.  We also got some boiled potatoes to share between us.  My fish was whole save for the head and the insides.  And it was so good.  The fish was done perfectly and really didn't even need the butter that was on the side.  The salmon, I was told, was done perfectly as well.  The potatoes were potatoes...what can you really say about boiled potatoes?  For dessert, well, at first, we weren't sure what we ordered.  Our waitress didn't speak English all that well, and we of course, speak no Danish.  We knew it had rhubarb in it.  It was a rhubarb puree on top of whipped cream with amaretto cookies at the bottom.  It was gone in a few seconds flat.

Let me just say that I have never eaten that much rhubarb before.  In fact, while I have seen it on sale in the US, I have never bought it nor felt the need to.  This isn't because I don't want to, it's just that it can be so tricky to prepare.  However, eating as much rhubarb as I have in this trip has turned me into a believer.  So much so, that I will try my hand at it when I get back.

For the most part, I have enjoyed Scandinavian cuisine.  They take what they know and add different twists or just keep it as simple as they can.  Next stop: Czech Republic for two nights.  

PS- Be sure to check back everyday (follow me!).  I have scheduled a bunch of blog posts for the next few weeks.  All through the power of the internet.