Met on the pier and boarded the bus. Our guide, Averil, seemed to have an endless supply of information about, well, everything Danish. One interesting thing she mentioned is that the cruise pier is new, about a year old (which we knew from our embarkation tour guide) but is still expanding, using the fill from the subway expansion for "new" land. We drove north out of Copenhagen on a very sunny day.

First stop: Fredericksborg Palace, an impressive place that looks smaller from the outside than it actually is, probably because it's partially hidden by trees behind a lake (or moat, maybe). Averil led us across a bridge into the central courtyard, and then through several sections of the old palace, including a very ornate chapel (ornate by Lutheran standards, but that was the style of Christian IV, she said).

Our approach to Fredericksborg Castle takes us along the moat and through a copse of trees.

The large fountain is a prominent feature of the square in front of the castle.

Crossing the bridge over the moat takes us through an arched gate into the courtyard.

The gate is flanked by rows of statues in arched niches below the parapet.

Averil leads us across the courtyard to the main entryway.

Like many palaces we've seen on this trip, Fredericksborg is also a popular venue for weddings.

The lower level of the castle features a shallow vaulted ceiling, with carvings of deer along the crown.

The large chapel occupies the equivalent of three levels in the left-hand wing. This view from the balcony near the altar looks back toward the pipe organ.

The chapel is ornately detailed, as seen in its walls, vaulted ceiling, windows, large paintings, and wall adornments.

The massive pipe organ occupies most of the rear wall of the long chapel.

The chapel features a variety of stained glass, depicting saints, heraldry, and royal personages.

The large chapel, bigger than most churches, was adorned with the crests of hundreds of people who had been awarded either the Order of the Cross or the Order of the Element. I scanned the various coats of arms on the walls I passed, but didn't find the Thonssen crest anywhere. Lots of intricate detail, portrait paintings galore, and every room had a different style ceiling. Ended the tour in the massive banquet hall (one level above the chapel) which had on display an exhibition honoring the current consort, Prince Henrik. Had time for a several pictures of the fountain and grounds before filing back to the bus.

Jill examines an array of Orders hanging in a window alcove. Lettering around the perimeter identifies the date and recipient, their coat of arms displayed in the center of the plaque.

Our guide, Averil, is an unending font of information on all things Danish.

From a rear window, we spot the well-manicured gardens on the other side of the moat.

Every room boasts a different ceiling, four examples of which are shown here.

An exhibition honoring Prince Henrik occupies the large banquet hall above the chapel.

The front corners of the castle are marked by short octagonal turrets that jut out into the water.

Sunlight emphasizes the arcs of water streaming from the central column of the main fountain.

The full front of Fredericksborg Castle is seen from the far side of the fountain.

Mid-afternoon shadows lend a dramatic air to the fountain as we finish our tour of the castle.

Our next stop was the royal summer residence at Fredensborg, where Queen Magrethe spends the summer months. Except for July, when she is at a private house in northern Jutland. Didn't go in; it was just a photo stop, although one with a bit of a walk, as the palace sits at the uphill end of a rather long driveway.

The main building of Fredensborg Palace faces a courtyard surrounded by low buildings at the top of a rise.

Mark swaps cameras with another tourist to get this picture of him and Jill at the front of the palace.

The long walk back to the bus takes us downhill along a tree-lined, cobbled esplanade.

Had a bit longer leg up the coast to Helsingor (aka Elsinore) and Kronborg Castle, made famous by Shakespeare as the setting for Hamlet. And yes, it was the same castle we'd seen that morning from the ship. It was quite a walk from the bus park to the castle, which overlooks the sund.

Kronborg Castle towers over the fortifications as we make the long walk from the parking lot.

A shallow, enclosed pond separates the outer rampart from the parking area.

A bridge takes us over the pond and through the outer gate.

At the foot of the inner rampart lies a narrow moat.

Our path to the entrance takes us around a point in the fortifications.

The path to the main entrance winds through an arched gate, then right across the moat and through the tall inner rampart.

The castle was built along with Helsingholm (on what is now the Swedish side) to enforce the toll on shipping coming through the strait. At only 4 kilometers wide, it is the narrowest part of the Sund. Each castle was armed with cannon having a range of 2 km, so between them could reach any ship that tried to pass. Incidentally, the new toll made the Danish king a whole lot of money, which allowed him to expand the castle from a mere fort to a grand palace.

The view looking north from a window in the castle shows fortifications, the moat, the footpath, a marina, and the Sund beyond.

Sweden's Helsingholm lies but 4 kilometers across the Sund, at the narrowest part of the strait.

Cannon face the water, originally placed to enforce taxation of ships traversing the Sund.

We covered quite a bit of the interior, despite the lack of air conditioning and warm temperatures, with several trips up or down the circular stairways in the turrets. (Which is what turrets are for, apparently.) Our guide seemed to know the history of every painting and tapestry in the castle, and maybe in the entire kingdom, for all we know. Having been through the Amelienborg Palace, a lot of the information from Averil was refresher, which made it easier for Jill and I to follow. At one point, she provided an explanation for the numbering of the Danish kings, which really helped. (Christian II followed Christian I, then Frederick I, and after that they alternated. So the ordinal number drops by 1 when going from Christian to Frederick, and goes up by 2 in the other direction.) The tour focused on the interior and the decorations rather than on exterior details, so after a stop at the Queen's Chamber (and the sordid tale that accompanied it), we exited the building and returned to the bus without visiting the gift shop.

The clock tower, with its ornate copper spire, looms over the courtyard as we come in through the breezeway.

We pause a few minutes in the spacious courtyard before beginning our tour of the interior of the castle.

A table is set for lunch, displaying dishes that would have served the royal family in centuries past.

An expansive ballroom features parquet floors and a hewn-timber beamed ceiling.

Near the parking lot is a helpful scale model of Kronborg Castle and its surrounding fortifications. The superimposed yellow line shows our path into the castle from the perimeter.

We took a different route back to Copenhagen, following the coast road instead of the interior highway. Judging from the number of people on the beaches or in the water, there wasn't a single Dane who stayed at home on that summery afternoon. Averil explained that the sea is fairly shallow along the Danish coast, so the water is not too cold for swimming, despite the latitude. The coast road is dotted with expensive villas and picturesque cottages, and Averil pointed out the places of interest along the way, like author Isak Dineson's house.

It seems that every Dane was out enjoying the beach as we motored back to Copenhagen.

We soon found ourselves back in the city, and wormed our way through traffic and construction to the cruise pier. We had just enough time to shower and change for the suite farewell party in the Pinnacle Bar. We made sure we arrived a bit early, in keeping with our reputation from the welcome party that first Thursday. Accepted the several glasses of champagne that were offered, just to be sociable, and hobknobbed with some of the other guests. Jill did mention to the Captain and Hotel Manager that this itinerary was exhausting. They agreed. Then to dinner. Had a fun time, as always, but about halfway through dinner most of the people around the table kind of faded, as if the past 3 days of long excursions had just caught up with them. We made a quick after-dinner stop at the Photo Gallery to round up the rest of our shots and to send the entire packet off for digitization, which we picked up about an hour later. But that was it for shipboard activities for the evening, as we had to pack. The suitcases were due in the hallway by midnight.