A large, offshore wind farm...

heralds our approach to Copenhagen, Denmark, the final destination of our cultural circumnavigation of the Baltic Sea (click to enlarge):

No matter which direction you cast your gaze, the cosmopolitan capital of Denmark has more spires on the horizon than anywhere else we've visited, blending the old with the modern:

A perfunctory early morning visit was made to the Little Mermaid statue very close to our berth, set artfully on large, rounded stones in the harbor in honor of the tale by Hans Christian Andersen, the famous Danish author:

Then it was off on a tour de force guided excursion of a series of palaces, commencing with Amelienborg Palace, the winter residence of the Danish Royal Family since 1794:

Quite by chance, the daily ritual of the changing of the guard took place very closely around us, and the presence of two flags flying above parts of the palace confirmed that some of the Royal Family were in residence:

Then it was onto Christiansborg Palace, the seat of the Danish Parliament, built on the original foundations of 1167.  Finally, we visited beautiful Rosenborg Palace, named for its rose-filled gardens. Built in 1606, the basement vault houses the Royal Crown jewels, which we were able to view.