The Journey to find the Little Mermaid

Hiya folks!

Today I wanted to write about my trip to Copenhagen. But instead of a normal travel post, I thought i'd try it a bit different and write it as a small creative piece. Hope you enjoy!

Growing up I watched Disney’s The Little Mermaid. I loved and hated this Disney movie. I loved the story, I hated Ursula. Disney did a good job in creating her. She scared me! Anyway, when I was in Europe, my friend and I decided to take a trip to Copenhagen. The home of Hans Christian Anderson, the writer of the original Little Mermaid fairy tale.

Thus our story begins – the journey to find Little Mermaid.

Our day will start on a bridge. A bridge that is a connection, a structural engineering that links two places together. 

On one end we have the stunning King’s Garden. Known for its beautiful greenery, perfectly cut and kept. It is said that approximately 2.5 million people visit this park each year. That's a lot of people!

As we walk across to the King’s Garden, you will notice that on either side, left or right. There are different things to see. On the right, you are greeted by a beautiful steel archway that’s centred in this maze of green walls.

  ...and gorgeous bushes of colourful flora.

On the opposite end you’ll find an avenue of trees that will lead you to a very famous Dane…

…Mr Hans Christian Andersen, the father of fairy tales, the creator of the Little Mermaid. However, her statue was no where to be found. We felt that we must be close, if the creator sits here, one of his famous characters must be near by. The search continues.

Finding nothing in King’s Garden, we set across to the other side of the bridge. Here you are greeted by the majestic Rosenborg Castle. This castle was built by Christian IV, one of the most famous Scandinavian kings.

 Upon entering the castle, we descended down the stairs to a dark, secluded area that holds armour and swords and as we walked through a hallway we were greeted by…

…Danish Crown Regalia…

…and the Crown Jewels

Again, no sign of the Little Mermaid here.

Our journey continues. As we exit the castle and head towards the harbour we are met by the equestrian statue to Rytterstatuen. This, a representation of Frederick V of Denmark, located at the centre of Amalienborg and surrounded by four identical classical palace facades. 

Upon closer inspection we can see that the equestrian’s hand points in the direction of a beautiful green dome. Frederik’s Church. However, our journey is to find the Little Mermaid, and we doubt that she would be hiding in the church.

We decide to continue towards the harbour. The harbour which sits behind the statue. The harbour which leads to clear waters and the vast open sea. The likely place for the mermaid to reside.

Onwards we march, passing by a fountain and the Opera House.

Down the winding path we walk, towards another church. St Alban’s Church. Sitting in a postcard setting, blue skies, green trees. Just gorgeous and tranquil.

 Ahead of the church we see another fountain, Gefion Fountain.

The fountain features Norse goddess Gefjin and four oxen. Legends say that the Swedish King Gylfe offered the goddess Gefjin as much land as she could plough in a day. So she transformed her four sons into oxen and ploughed all day and night, they ploughed so much and so deep into the ground that they created an island. The island of Zealand.

As we approached the fountain we noticed that she is pointing towards something. Her hand is guiding us further north of the harbour, towards Langelinie Park.

Onwards we walk, further north and there she is. The Little Mermaid, perched atop a rock, her face gazing towards the waters of Copenhagen.

Our journey is done, our task complete. We have found the Little Mermaid of Copenhagen.