Copenhagen, Denmark

On a chilly Tuesday, 5 August, our ship docked in Copenhagen, Denmark. Our family took a bike tour of the city for a couple of hours, which was a great break from all the walking we had been doing. One of our first stops was the famous “Little Mermaid” statue. The statue was carved as a tribute to Hans Christian Andersen, a native of Denmark and the creator of the story that was later made into a Disney movie. Interestingly, the original story had a quite different ending than the one most of us have heard. In the original version, the mermaid also visits a “sea witch,” who agrees to turn her into a human being on the condition that she will always walk with pain and will give the witch her beautiful voice. When the mermaid arrives on the shore, though, she discovers that her prince has been fooled into believing that it was another woman who saved him from the shipwreck. The prince has married that woman and is deeply in love. Out of sorrow and heartbreak, the mermaid turns into sea foam. Interesting, huh?

The city of Copenhagen was quite picturesque, but it was interesting to see that some buildings still bore bullet holes and other scars from World War II. The city is very sea-focused, and there were canals running right through town and up to one of the main squares. We ate lunch in between a row of beautiful, colorful buildings and a canal. My mom and I shopped for a bit, and then it was back to the boat so as not to be left behind.

^Bike tour

^Little Mermaid statue