Lackeys Step Into A Fairy Tale at Copen Adventure Mega
Geocaching HQ Lackeys attend dozens of Mega- and Giga-Events around the world, shaking hands, sharing stories of adventure, and of course, geocaching! Sassy Bandit is a Sr. Front End Developer at Geocaching HQ. She recently traveled to Denmark along with Love, gearguru, and Benno to attend the Copen Adventure Mega-Event (GC9ZYGC). Here’s her trip summary.
On the eastern coast of Denmark on the island of Zealand rests a picturesque city of historic landmarks, waterways, and green spaces. Once upon a time, a dreamer walked this land whose tales still live on to this day. That dreamer’s name was Hans Christian Andersen. Now, years later, Copen Adventure invited geocachers to be a part of a magical adventure inspired by some of his most popular tales.
As the Welcome Event drew near I found myself standing in Copenhagen’s Central Train Station. I was searching for a small treasure nestled high in a wall, the object of a highly Favorited Virtual Cache. As soon as I snapped the required photo, my eyes snagged on a familiar figure, gearguru. I said hello, and gave a nod to the location. While he stepped away for his own photo I watched a dozen other geocachers suddenly converge on the spot. I smiled at the sight. Sometimes geocaching feels reminiscent of a fairy tale, transporting you to another realm, one that turns the everyday into a grand adventure.
The Welcome Event itself was held at the Town Hall Square, featuring a statue of Hans Christian Andersen. It was a time to gather, be reunited with friends, and to forge new ones. You could feel the excitement in the air.
This summer brought a lot of rain to Denmark, but as if it had been written in a fairy tale the sun shone brightly for the big event. The Mega was held at Kastrup Fort, now a public space, dating back to 1886-87; it’s surrounded by a moat, and boasts a view of Amager Strandpark, where a CITO was held the following day. It made for a beautiful setting. Throughout the event, fairy tales were read aloud in both Danish and English, there was tree climbing, a challenge to most accurately place a flag on a set of coordinates, and a series of Adventure Labs that challenged us to name the fairy tale being depicted.
The Goodbye Event came with another tie in with the theme. It was held near the iconic Little Mermaid sculpture, a character from one of Andersen’s fairy tales. Here last conversations were had, and hugs given as our time together came to an end.
The journey through Andersen’s worlds was a delight. I’d like to extend a big thank you to the organization team for crafting a wonderful weekend, and a memorable event!
