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| Karen Blixen's house at Rungstedlund, outside Copenhagen |
How far should a fan go to
pay tribute to an author she loves?
According to Chuck, my
rascal cat, not far at all.
I had a different idea.
Ever since I’d read Karen
Blixen’s memoir Out of Africa and
then watched the movie starring Meryl Streep and Robert Redford, which detailed
Karen Blixen’s tumultuous love affair with Denys Finch-Hatton while in Kenya
and running a coffee plantation, I’d longed to see her two homes—one in Kenya
and the other in her native Denmark. For
me, seeing an author’s home is inspiring. I imagine them in that space writing,
creating, and hope that some of their unique talent rubs off on me.
Several years ago I was
lucky enough to go on safari in Kenya. I
saw where Karen Blixen lived and worked.
Recently, while traveling around the Scandinavian countries of Denmark,
Norway and Sweden, I also had the opportunity of visiting Karen Blixen’s ancestral
home—where she was born and raised and where she returned, after her coffee
plantation in Africa burned to the ground and she lost her investment.
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| Kate (me) in Copenhagen train station with Chuck in smart bag |
Rungstedlung is
approximately 25 minutes by train and a bit more by bus out of Copenhagen. Her home is now the Karen Blixen Museum, and
many of the original rooms are delightfully preserved the way they were when
she lived there.
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| Sign announcing you have reached Karen Blixen's house |
So it was exciting to take
the trip north of Copenhagen and see her house, and even though it was a half
dreary—cloudy, partially rainy day, I didn’t mind. We traipsed through her
house and inspected her rooms, visited the part which now housed documents that
told the story of her life and then stopped off in the gift shop.
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| Karen Blixen (not in the flesh) on poster board to greet you! |
Chuck, safely squirreled
away in my smart bag, bore the entire experience with unlikely quiet
reserve. We were about to leave when I
realized that we hadn’t seen Karen Blixen’s gravesite. Follow the path behind the house, we were
told. I couldn’t resist, and Chuck, realizing that the path was likely to be
somewhat deserted, knew he’d be let out of the smart bag and allowed to roam
around.
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| Back view of house with pathway leading to grave |
We started off down the
path, crossed along the back of the house, and quickly, very quickly we entered
into a kind of forest, beautiful but very quiet and deserted. With no grave in
sight. The guide woman at the desk had clearly said to follow the path. So we continued to walk. Hanging from trees were smartly carved
cheerfully colored birdhouses, which helped to dispel the gloom. The drizzle, which had started with our walk,
now turned into a downpour. Chuck
sloshed along in front of me. Still no
gravesite.
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| Path with brightly colored birdhouses |
I became suspicious. Why
would anyone want to be buried so far away from the house? Had we somehow
missed the “clearly marked sign”?
Then it happened. A black
bird appeared in front of us. At first I thought it was an omen. But, no, only
trouble because Chuck saw the bird and let loose, his belly dragging behind him
as he chased after this poor creature, who for some reason, refused to take
flight. Surreal almost. Finally, when it seemed that Chuck was just about to
pounce, the bird rose into the air. Chuck, clearly out of breath, didn’t seem
too concerned that he’d lost his conquest. And, of course, still no gravesite.
We’d been walking up an incline for at least ten minutes.
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| Marina across the street from where Karen Blixen lives |
Chuck gave me one of those
looks. He’d had enough.
I am not one to give up,
but Chuck was drenched. The path was turning into mud. And the forest was now
the forest primeval.
We turned around and
returned to the gift shop.
Yes. Karen Blixen was
buried at the top of the hill. Under the giant beech tree. There is a
marker. Perhaps, you did not walk far
enough.
Suddenly it didn’t matter
anymore. Instead I’d walked the path I
imagined she’d walked a hundred times.
And that was enough for me.
WILD POINT ISLAND, PARANORMAL ROMANCE, IS NOW AVAILABLE IN EBOOK AND PAPERBACK FROM AMAZON.COM AND BARNESANDNOBLE.COM
AVERAGE READER REVIEW: 4.8 STARS
