September 26, 2018 – The Third Most Disappointing European Tourist Attraction

The bloom is definitely off the rose.  It’s dreary, overcast, and blustery… so windy in fact that at times I might as well have been a street mime pretending to walk against wind, that’s how little forward progress I could make.  A cold, light drizzle had me pull my umbrella out, only to have the wind invert it into a rain cup instead of a rain shield.  And this being a run Kevin run story, the restaurant I went to was closed today I not for maintenance.  Well, of course.

So I overpaid for a middling sandwich … and this still being an rkr post, splurged on a gelato.  As I said earlier, it’s an expensive town and this bonus treat was a dear USD$5.50.  I regret only the cost on that one.

I’ve sought refuge in the Black Diamond library.  Too confused about how to check my backpack and get a clear plastic bag to go into the place, I’m camped out in the  annex coffee bar.

The number one biggest European tourist attraction disappointment is supposedly the Mona Lisa.  It’s much smaller than people expect and for various security reasons (ahem, Robert Langdon) you’re a good 15 feet away from the plexiglass enclosure, baking it seem even smaller.  I saw it a few years back and it was fine.  But the Louvre is an amazing place and if you can’t find something in there impressive, architecturally, artistically, or people-watchingly, I don’t know what to tell you.

The second biggest disappointment as almost universally echoed by various European tour guides in multiple countries, is the Manneken Pis in Brussels.  I saw that last year on my European tour, and yeah it’s pretty lame.  But there are plenty of frites places and 1 euro waffle stands that I didn’t care.

And the third biggest disappointment on European tourist attractions is here in Copenhagen.  It’s the statue of The Little Mermaid.

The last guide I had asked how many of us been there yet.  A number of us raised our hands and he asked us if we had the typical tourist experience, which he described as anxious excitement building to a crescendo as you walk through the park getting closer and closer … until you see it and utter a monotone, one syllable word:

“Oh.”

I suspect every guide purposefully downplays the thing as a strategy to lower your expecatations.  That way when you do see it, you’re pleasantly surprised.  It’s fine and I appreciate the mid morphing legs to fins or fins to legs or whatever is happening  there on the sculpture.  I actually enjoyed it more for the people watching, as I and the other tourists scampered about like kids on a playground.  It was silly and dumb but then isn’t so much of life taken far too seriously?  I mean, she’s #notmymermaid, but she’s okay.

 

This by the way is my mermaid:

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I will say that the walk out to the statue is filled with fountains and sculptures that, like the Louvre or waffle stands above, means even if you are underwhelmed you really should be able to find something to enjoy in it.

And by the way, I was far more disappointed in the Merman and His 7 Sons underwater piece.

People kept trying to point it out to me in the shimmering water and I even went back at night to see if it was better illuminated.  I saw at best a vague outline but I might as well have been told to see a sailboat in one of those damn stereogram things.  I’d have had just about as much luck.

I don’t know — it looks like a giant blob.
Is that’s head? It’s fin? Ugh. This is really disappointing.

I did hear in winter time the water level sometimes drops and freezes, such that merman’s outstretched arms stick up and it’s both hilarious and terrifying.

I found this on pinterest via a google image search.