Would You Like Fries With That?

Today was inspired by two books I recommend all intrepid women read, The women I think about at night: Travelling the paths of my heroes by Mia Kankimaki and Out of Africa by Karen Blixen. Karen Blixen is one of Mia’s ‘night women’ whose stories would play in her mind when she was contemplating life. The novel is part travelogue and part the exploration of women adventurers who defied expectations in order to see the world. Karen Blixen was a Danish noblewoman who spent 17 years in Africa on a coffee plantation that was a complete failure. Her account of that time is witty and whimsical and clever – I actually enjoyed it way more than I thought I would.

So obviously I will need to go to Kenya, but whilst I’m here in Denmark I can visit her family home in Rungstedlund where she grew up and where she returned after her years in Africa. Rungstedlund is now the home of the Karen Blixen Museum and is 41 acres, some curated gardens, some bird sanctuary. In 2024 the Rungstedlund Foundation opened a new trail called the Blixen Route which is a 16km circuit that leads through the Bird Sanctuary to Folehave forest, around the Arboretum, through Hørsholm Castle Gardens and past Hørsholm Church, through Hørsholm Cemetery and back to Rungstedlund via Rungsted Hegn.

It took me just over three hours to do the trail, stopping to observe my cardinal hiking rule – pat every dog (take a sip of water). Coo at every cow, share knowing looks with every cat, talk to every bird and tell all horses that they are majestic. Contemplate a bush wee and chicken out even though there are ‘no dangerous spiders’ here.

Wandering through the forest I once again had this thought of, have I … cured depression? Honestly, everyone – we need to be touching more grass, walking in more forests and talking to more animals. I haven’t figured out hygge yet but damn if I haven’t worked out I’m happy on a trail. I’m happy tottering along wondering when I might go to Africa myself.