Day 11. Dannebrog.

The Nordic countries share a common template for their flags. The pattern even has its own Wikipedia entry. Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark and the Åland, Faroe, Orkney and Shetland Islands all use some variation of the Nordic Cross. Denmark set the standard with its red and white Dannebrog (apparently in the 1200s), and the neighboring regions followed suit in subsequent centuries.

While the US tends to overdo the whole let's-put-flags-everywhere thing, Denmark is only a tiny bit less excited about theirs. I see the Dannebrog quite often, though it could be because I'm staying in the capital; since I haven't strayed from Copenhagen yet, I have yet to see how much the rural areas fly the flag.

Day 3. Kastellet.

Kastellet is a star fortress - among the best preserved in Europe - and one of the few still actually operated by a state's armed forces (the Danish Defense Minister lives on the grounds). Seeing it from above, one can appreciate how orderly and well-built it is, not unlike the city surrounding it. Since 1662, the Danish military has operated Kastellet, though today's Danes tend to use it as their favorite reading or jogging spot instead of a formidable bastioned rampart.

Below is a glimpse of the tidy old barracks (Stokkene) that sit within the star-shaped walls.