My wife's best friend, a very experienced traveler, had told us that the hype about the Little Mermaid was over blown. She didn't let us down. I had always assumed that the sculpture was IN the water versus actually mounted on a rock onshore. It was like seeing Plymouth Rock - yup, it's just a big rock. That's it. You feel so stupid when you see it. Yes, it's called a 'rock' because IT IS A ROCK. As such, there was no letdown at the Little Mermaid. We just watched tourists snapping photos as if they were at the Louvre and kept a straight face. I suspect that this relates to why I'm in no rush to visit Mount Rushmore. Of all the things to see and do in Copenhagen, the mermaid ranks at the bottom, though the Stroget comes close. We had hoped to find stores with indigenous Danish wares versus the luxury stores one could find in any high end mall or shopping district in every part of the globe. Only the Royal Copenhagen store had a Danish connection. Except for Cafe Norden, the Stroget was a waste of time and energy. I should have taken the Steves guidebook more literally. L Iive and learn.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8319 posts
We quickly realized that the Little Mermaid would be a letdown to see. Just don't comment to any locals about it as they're actually a little defensive about her. And if you'd found a store with indigenous Danish wares, the prices of the wares would simply be shocking. While we love Scandinavia, we don't like the prices of everyday things--like a $4 Coke and $8 beer in a restaurant. It's easy to understand why we didn't see any obese people as the price of food's just so much.
Posted by
OP
NH,USA
9 posts
As we found Danes to be so friendly, after all, "the happiest people in the world", we would never have shared our observations with locals. We were aware that food would be expensive and were prepared for it. Cafe Norden worth every Krone.
Posted by
Danville, VT
12040 posts
Different opinion here. I saw the Little Mermaid as part of a larger scenic bike ride along the waterfront. It was just one site among many. Why not stop to see it if you're passing anyway? It may also have helped that I was there in the early spring and there were hardly any other tourists trying to snap their selfies.
Also, practically every large city in Europe has a shopping street similar to Strøget, and they're all populated by the same type of stores. Why would we expect anything different on Strøget?
Posted by
14 posts
With millions of pictures all over the internet of the Little Mermaid why would it be a let down when you saw it?
Posted by
Medford, OR, USA
5837 posts
Sorry for being a bit off topic, but in response to:
...It's easy to understand why we didn't see any obese people....
I suspect that a significant factor in absence of obese Danes is their active culture:
http://denmark.dk/en/green-living/bicycle-culture/
Copenhagen is world famous for its biking culture and now officially
the first Bike City in the World. Last year, it was also voted the
‘Best city for cyclists’ and the ‘World’s most liveable city’. The
Danes are well known for their love of cycling and cities all around
the world are now looking at ways to copy this phenomenon. It really
is biking heaven for the cyclist in Copenhagen with over 390
kilometres of designated bike lanes.