As a nod to my rapidly approaching trip to Denmark and Sweden, I have posted several images of meaning to me as my blog header.

The first, Den Lille Havfrue (The Little Mermaid) has graced and watched over Copenhagen’s harbor for a long time now.  Since my first trip at the age of three and well before I understood the story, she has captivated me.  The Disneyed-up version of Hans Christian Andersen’s bittersweet tale has a happier ending, but there is no subsitute for the original story.  (The poor lass continues to lose her head at the hands of pranksters, and has been re-cast more than once.  A more recent theft was eventually recovered, but not until several years after, if memory serves.)

The image in the middle is one of my favorite Danish castles – Kronborg.  It guards the channel shared with Sweden and has a long and venerable history.  It is located on the northern shore of the island where Copenhagen is found, in the city of Helsingør (Elsinore).  Yes, this is the castle of Shakespearean fame, where he set the play of “Hamlet”.  To walk along the outer walls between castle and coast and be buffetted by the constant wind is a timeless experience.  I will be re-living it towards the end of my trip in late July.  🙂

The final image is of a place I have not been to before, but have long wanted to visit.  The northern most tip of the Danish mainland juts out precariously and is shaped where the Baltic and North Seas converge.  The scenery is said to be magnificent, but that alone is not necessarily what attracts artists.  Painters and artists in other visual media rave about the quality of light at this location, and often flock to capture it in various beautiful seascapes.  I am excited that two whole days in our itinerary is devoted to exploring Skagen and its environs.  I do hope my camera can keep up.  😉