From Oslo to Denmark: A Journey through Fairy Tales and History

從奧斯陸走進丹麥的童話與歷史

Leaving Oslo（奧斯陸）, we boarded an overnight cruise shipfor Copenhagen（哥本哈根）. As the Norwegian coast disappeared into the twilight, the ship carried us quietly across the northern sea. By morning, Norway’s mountains had given way to Denmark’s gentle coastline, wind turbines, and wide-open sky.

Copenhagen welcomed us with colourful canal houses, bicycles, royal palaces, and the relaxed rhythm of waterfront life. At Nyhavn（新港）, old ships rested beside brightly painted houses whose reflections trembled upon the water.

We also visited the Little Mermaid（小美人魚）, inspired by Hans Christian Andersen（漢斯・克里斯蒂安・安徒生）. Sitting alone upon a rock and gazing toward the sea, her small figure seemed to express longing, sacrifice, and quiet sadness.

At the National Museum of Denmark, we were surprised to see what appeared to be a mermaid’s skeleton（美人魚骨骸）—a human-like upper body joined to a long fish’s tail. We later learned that the Haraldskær Mermaid（哈拉斯凱美人魚）was an imaginative artistic creation, not a real fossil. Outside, the bronze mermaid sat silently beside the sea; inside, her mysterious “bones” invited us to smile and wonder. In Denmark, fairy tales seem to step naturally into everyday life.

From Copenhagen, we travelled by train to Helsingør（赫爾辛格）and Kronborg Castle（克倫堡／Kronborg Slot）. Standing beside the Øresund Strait（厄勒海峽）and facing Sweden（瑞典）, the castle once guarded an important maritime route. It later became famous as Elsinore, the setting of Shakespeare’s Hamlet（莎士比亞《哈姆雷特》）. Walking through its stone halls and shadowy passages, I could almost hear Hamlet’s doubts echoing within the walls.

Back in Copenhagen, Rosenborg Castle（羅森堡）revealed the splendour of Danish royalty. The Danish Crown Jewels shone beneath the museum lights, while people relaxed outside in the King’s Garden. Royal history and ordinary modern life existed peacefully together.

We then travelled across Funen（菲英島）to Odense（歐登塞）, Andersen’s birthplace. Its old streets and small houses seemed perfectly suited to the world of The Ugly Duckling（《醜小鴨》）, The Little Match Girl（《賣火柴的小女孩》）, and The Little Mermaid（《小美人魚》）. Andersen’s own journey—from a poor shoemaker’s son to one of the world’s most beloved storytellers—was itself like a fairy tale.

Our train continued to Fredericia（菲德烈西亞）, a historic fortress town beside the Little Belt Strait（小貝爾特海峽）. Grass now covers the old defensive ramparts, and peaceful walking paths have replaced the footsteps of soldiers. Time has softened the memory of war without completely erasing it.

We then travelled north through the Jutland Peninsula（日德蘭半島）to Aalborg（奧爾堡）. Outside the window stretched quiet farmland, forests, villages, and red-roofed houses. Aalborg stands beside the Limfjord（利姆水道）and carries memories of the Viking Age（維京時代）. Walking along its waterfront, we felt the northern wind and imagined ancient sailors departing for unknown seas.

Finally, we returned by train to Copenhagen, completing a journey of approximately five hours and 255 miles. Denmark had revealed itself through royal castles, ancient fortifications, quiet canals, Viking memories, and Andersen’s immortal stories.

What touched me most was Denmark’s restrained and gentle beauty. It did not try to overwhelm us. Like one of Andersen’s fairy tales, it entered the heart quietly—through a lonely mermaid, an imaginary skeleton, a windswept castle, and peaceful fields—and remained there long after our journey had ended.