Den Lille Havfrue

Here she is - the quintessential symbol of Copenhagen - the Little Mermaid or Den Lille Havfrue as she's known in Danish. She's small in size and gracefully perched atop a rock just off the shore in the northern part of Copenhagen. I ventured across the city on foot with her as my destination. On my way I passed through some picturesque parts of town and once I arrived at the mermaid, I sat on a bench in the park there for a good hour or more and soaked up the sun and fresh air. Yes, sun! I've had 3 out of 4 days that were sunny. While there I met Peter, a nice older Danish man, who shared stories with me about all the mishaps that the poor Lille Havfrue has endured the most severe being 2 beheadings. He also let me know about her birthday party which occurs each year on August 23rd. He says people bring her flowers, try to sit on top of her head and jump off of boats and frolic in the sea in mermaid costumes. Sounds like a good party!

-MGB