There seems to be a theme with my Travel Pic Thrusday’s lately. Last week I took you on a trip to see manatees in Belize – manatees that sailors once thought were mermaids – and this week I’m taking you to another bathing beauty that many people think is a replica of the Copenhagen’s Little Mermaid statue. So, let’s head up north and see what tricks the folks in Vancouver, British Columbia are playing on us.
Canada’s Little Mermaid Fast Facts
- Despite all appearances, the statue is not a mermaid. It’s a girl in a wetsuit lounging on a rock…hence the statue’s true name Girl in a Wetsuit.
- If you give her more than a passing glance, you’ll notice she’s got a snorkel/diving mask pulled up onto her forehead. Mermaids, in case you didn’t know, don’t wear masks.
- The statue is made of bronze and was created by sculptor Elek Imredy in 1972. She was settled onto her rock at the edge of Stanley Park in Vancouver Harbor in 1973.
- Imredy was a Hungarian who fled his home country in 1956 and settled in Vancouver soon after.
- The best way to see the statue is to hop on a bike and pedal along the very easy 10-kilometer (6-mile) bike path that circles Stanley Park (which has to be one of the top ten city parks in the world!).
- If the Girl tempts you in for a swim to get a closer look, don’t bother. The City of Vancouver already knows the Girl’s effect on people so they smoothed her boulder in a way that makes it really really difficult to climb up to harass her.
Looking for More Info About Stanley Park? Here You Go…
- History of Stanley Park
- The many natural and manmade things to gawk at within Stanley Park
- Where to bike, hike, or take a swim
* * *
TAMMIE PAINTER IS THE AUTHOR OF THE TRIALS OF HERCULES, The first book in her fantasy series, The Osteria Chronicles, in which she brings Greek Myths to life. The Maze (book Three in the series) will be released November 2017.
Tammie Painter 