Like many children, I grew up reading fairytales. Stories like The Ugly Duckling, Thumbelina, and The Snow Queen are intertwined with my childhood memories and as a child they inspired within me a sense of wonder of all the possibilities of life. What a world we live in! Such power and magic and beauty! My imagination ran wild and I recall the many times I perused those thick battered books of tales. Now, as an adult, that sense of wonder has been transferred to the man who had written many of them: Hans Christian Andersen. I no longer just admire the beauty of his work but the beauty of his mind as well. So when the Autumn chill could no longer be escaped, I decided to meet the coming winter by going up north to Denmark, the homeland of H.C. Andersen. A few days in Copenhagen was the perfect quiet city break I needed. I lazily strolled along the water’s edge in search of the statue of The Little Mermaid, sat at the famed Nyhavn harbor that is lined with colorful houses, and enjoyed the exciting air of the approaching Yuletide season with the twinkling lights that adorned the city. And with a spring in my walk and a fairytale in my heart, I explored the city where H.C. Andersen once lived. I leave you, dear reader, with a few pictures of my trip and this quote:
“To move, to breathe, to fly, to float,
To gain all while you give,
To roam the roads of lands remote,
To travel is to live.”
-Hans Christian Andersen
Thanks for reading!
