SCANDINAVIA HOLIDAY
15 Feb 2016
We were warned repeatedly, “Look out for the killer bikes”. Walking in Amsterdam required steely nerves and sharp eyes to avoid scooters, motorbikes and the odd smart car that decided to use bicycle tracks for convenience. This contrasted with the comparative sedate pace of cycling throughout Scandinavia where we were impressed with the general courtesy and compliance with traffic rules and signals.
In Copenhagen there are more bikes than inhabitants with more than 50% of all citizens commuting by bike every day on designated bike paths. Whole families (mother and two children), the week’s groceries or trade deliveries, etc., use cargo bikes (a boxed compartment at the front) for transportation. Cycle taxis are also common. Helmets are not compulsory for adults and lycra clothing is rarely seen. Cycling is a way of life.
Bergen, gateway to the Norwegian fiords was founded as a crossroads for trading during the 1020’s or 1030’s. Later, merchants from Germany established warehouses and living quarters (kontor) at the harbour wharves. These have been preserved and are listed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site.
Walking through the medieval quarter adjacent to the harbour wharf is a step back in time. It was here that I met and became friendly with one of the local “trolls” while waiting for the rain to pass. Although promoting Norway’s folklore and heritage, my friend spent the majority of time watching tourists and occasionally posing for photographs. Trolls are well known in Norway and have featured in the films of “The Hobbit” and “Lord of the Rings” as well as the Harry Potter series of books. An attractive female troll (huldra) was mentioned in “Peer Gynt”, a play by Henrik Ibsen.
In 1625 the Swedish navy commenced building a new warship in Stockholm – the Vasa, with a hull constructed from one thousand oak trees. On its maiden voyage in 1628 sailors climbed the rig and set four of the Vasa’s ten sails. As the ship moved along the harbour stronger winds entered the sails and she immediately began to heel over hard to the lee side; she righted herself slightly then heeled right over and water gushed through the gun ports until she slowly went to the bottom. The maiden voyage was only 1,300 metres.
Attempts to raise the ship failed. In 1956 the Vasa was located and in 1959 thick steel cable were drawn beneath the ship, raising the Vasa into shallower water in 16 stages after 333 years in the deep. Spraying with preservatives continued for 17 years to prevent splitting and cracking. The Vasa Museum is the most visited museum in Scandinavia. The size of the Vasa is overwhelming and the hundreds of carved sculptures make it a unique art treasure.
Hans Christian Anderson, a prolific Danish writer, published a collection of nine tales in 1835, including “The Little Mermaid”, who was willing to give up her life in the sea to gain the love of a human prince.
In 1909 Carl Jacobsen was fascinated by a ballet about the fairy-tale in Copenhagen’s Royal Theatre. He commissioned a statue and asked the ballerina, Ellen Price, to model for the structure. The statue’s head was modelled after Price, but as the ballerina did not agree to model in the nude, the sculptor’s wife was used for the body.
This small and unimposing bronze statue is displayed on a rock by the waterside at the harbour entrance. Unfortunately, the statue has been damaged, (decapitated twice) and defaced many times, but has been restored each time. “The Little Mermaid” is a Copenhagen icon epitomizing Anderson’s literary impact upon the Danish people.
Pictures and text by Don Leyland
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