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Majestic Princess Day 5 - Copenhagen: Walking to The Little Mermaid

Before we even docked, I was up on the upper deck at 5am - and my word, it was windy! This is what Copenhagen looked like at that hour:

🎬 Watch: Windy upper deck at 5am, Copenhagen

Copenhagen was today's stop, and I had one goal: find the Little Mermaid. It turned into a proper adventure - a four-mile walk through Østerbro in grey, wet, windy weather that would put anyone off… except apparently me!

Strava activity map showing a 4-mile walk around Østerbro in Copenhagen, Denmark, with a thumbnail of the Little Mermaid statue

My Strava recorded 4 miles, 55 minutes 46 seconds, 7:17/km pace, 107 average bpm, 129 max bpm. That's proper walking exercise in challenging conditions - wind, drizzle, and that particular cold damp that finds its way everywhere.

Walking along the seafront on a grey Copenhagen morning, I came across something unexpected - four abstract sculptures in a row on a wet sidewalk, the colours really popping against the dark pavement and overcast sky. From earthy red-brown patina to polished silver, they traced an evolution of material and finish. A small moment of beauty in otherwise fairly grim weather.

Four abstract modern sculptures in a row on a wet sidewalk, showing an evolution from earthy red-brown patina to polished silver, connected by white cables

One sculpture in particular stopped me - an extraordinary abstract piece with a translucent olive-green head (you could see light through it in places), a polished silver torso with what looked like a hand-shaped indentation and a golden band around the middle, and a reflective chrome base featuring animal and gear reliefs, all sitting on a dark conical pedestal. Genuinely striking work.

Abstract metallic sculpture with translucent olive-green head, polished silver body with golden band, and reflective chrome base featuring sculptural animals and gears

And then - the Harbour. A Jackdaw was keeping watch on a red and grey metal railing, watching the harbour activity with that particular air Jackdaws have. Pale eyes, slightly tilted head. Cheeky little character.

A Jackdaw perched on a red and grey metal railing, looking curiously at the camera with its pale eye visible, blurred harbour and people in background

And finally - after four miles of grey Copenhagen - there she was. The Little Mermaid. Smaller than I expected somehow, but utterly charming, sitting on her granite rock with the calm harbour water behind her. Bronze with that distinctive greenish patina. I can see why she's been sitting there since 1913 - there's something quietly wonderful about her.

The iconic Little Mermaid statue in Copenhagen, bronze with greenish patina, sitting gracefully on a granite rock with calm harbour water behind her

And here's the walk to prove it - Jackdaw, harbour, and the Little Mermaid herself:

🎬 Watch: Jackdaw, Little Mermaid and the Copenhagen walk

Four miles in grey, wet, windy Copenhagen weather - and I'd do it again. 🌊🇩🇰

Open map location: Copenhagen, Denmark