My husband, Charles Smith and I have been subscribers to The Downhome magazine for quite a number of years, from receiving it in Virginia, USA, to moving to St. John's in 2009, and now out in our new home out on the Point, in beautiful Coley's Point, Bay Roberts. The articles and submissions continue to intrigue and humour us and we await anxiously its arrival every month. In fact we have taken Downhome with us to the most western point in continental Europe, Cabo da Roca in Portugal, a picture of which you so kindly published in 2008.

In October 2011, Charlie made a business trip to Denmark. As per usual, the Downhome magazine has to accompany him wherever his travels take him, so this trip was no exception. He was determined the latest copy of Downhome was going to come face to face with one of the most iconic symbols in Europe, The Little Mermaid in Copenhagen, Denmark! As you will see by the attached photo, he accomplished his task. He made the trip on a crystal clear Danish morning to where she lay perched on her rock, overlooking the bustling Copenhagen harbour. As is always the case with my husband, he can always find a link to Newfoundland from whatever country he is visiting. So you may ask, what could possibly be a link from The Little Mermaid in Denmark to the far-away island of Newfoundland?

Well, being the voracious reader that my husband is of all things Newfoundland (he's an American), he had just finished reading the book by James E. Candow entitled The Lookout - A History of Signal Hill and was intrigued by what he had read on page 7 of the book.

“…Sir Richard Whitbourne, who in 1620 wrote wistfully of meeting a mermaid in St. John's harbour.”

Could this well-documented mermaid of Sir Richard Whitbourne be related in some past life to the endearing one gracing the harbour of Copenhagen? While the answer to that question may never be known, at least my husband was able to connect the far reaches of Europe to the ocean waters of Newfoundland by the existence of two fair aquatic creatures!

We hope you enjoy our little anecdote. Keep up the good work!
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