Look At This Stuff, Isn't It Neat...

LOCATION:

Copenhagen, Denmark

 

Ever since learning that Hans Christian Anderson was from Denmark and there was a Little Mermaid statue here, I have been singing the songs from my all time favorite Disney movie on repeat. It's true, just ask Erin. Our flight landed about one, but our hotel here is really interesting - there is no reception desk and they just give you a code to unlock the door when you make your reservation. The good news - cheap hotel. The bad news - nowhere to leave your luggage! We went to the fancier hotel across the street in hopes of finding a recommendation on where to grab lunch, but left with a city map and a free place to stash our bags for a few hours! So far, so good Denmark! We took off on a little walking tour, starting at the Tivoli Gardens, the second oldest amusement park in the world. It has a Disney-ish feel, and unfortunately Disney-ish prices so we admired the rides from the outside.

Kind of fun, kind of scary!

 

The next find was a statue of Copenhagen's legendary fairy tale author himself, Hans Christian Anderson. In reading about him, I learned that in addition to fairy tales, he was a travel writer and the city considered him a national treasure - even paying him a pretty hefty living stipend while he was alive!

 

Hans. Probably writing The Little Mermaid.

 

We continued walking, and noticed so many cool statues and monuments. Nearly everything was Statue Of Liberty green though, the bronze having turned due to oxidization. I wonder what everything looked like when it was all shiny and new?

A sunny day, but a little chilly.

Definitely a nautical city, but finally a non-green statue!

Copenhagen's copy of Michelangelo's David. Green.

A monument for Denmark's WWII resistance.

 

This underwater one was creepy and cool - called Merman and Seven Children.

 

We kept walking along the water and saw these cool sidewalk trampolines with kids running and jumping all over the place. I was tempted to join, but had just as much fun watching.

There were about six boys playing, this dude was the best!

 

One of the good things about doing relatively little research before coming to a new city is that everything is a surprise! I didn't anticipate the canals that we found in Copenhagen, and this one was amazing. The brightly colored houses, street cafes, and old sailboats made this one of my favorite finds. It reminded me of a mix between Amsterdam and Venice, with a little hint of Brugge.

So pretty!

 

After about an hour of walking, we finally made it to the Little Mermaid. I almost burst in to song when I first saw it, but was kind of surprised at how small it was. We learned from a Rick Steve's travel video that she is unfortunately sometimes the subject of vandalism, and even once had her head stolen!

There she is, waiting for her prince!

 

One of my other favorite finds on the impromptu walking tour was this little chapel. I don't know what it is called and it was closed so we couldn't go inside, but it was so lovely. It is the kind of place I picture in a fairy tale!

 

 

One of the final highlights of Copenhagen was the free town of Christiania. It is a commune built in old military bunkers, and we weren't sure what to expect. Fortunately as we were walking up we ran into a few Denmark locals that told us the town rules: 1) no pictures, 2) no running, and 3) no hard drugs. I snapped one picture before we officially entered, and Erin managed to sneak a few shots inside the town.

A sign marking the entrance, not sure what it says!

 

This colorful house was pretty tame compared to some others we saw!

 

Copenhagen was a huge success overall. Neither of us had any expectations really, but just wanted a little taste of Scandinavia - and we are leaving more than satisfied! Denmark win! Berlin bound tomorrow.

 

 

 

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