Tag Archives: Castles
Mar-2024
This small European country is astonishingly gorgeous, massively underrated, and will instantly win your heart! Here is a glimpse into our stay in Slovenia 🇸🇮 and 8 reasons why we fell in love with it. Epic Hikes Boating Castles Gorges Caves Swimming Toboggan Run Charming Capital City Have you visited Slovenia? If not, you should […]
Mar-2024
Nestled in between Switzerland and Austria, among mountain ranges that rise steep and rugged above the Rhine is the tiny country (6th smallest in the world, actually) of LIECHTENSTEIN! 🇱🇮 Liechtenstein is one of just two double-landlocked countries in the world and in the heart of the Alps. Such is such a small country, we […]
The Knights Templar held enormous power in Portugal from the 12th to 16th centuries, and largely bankrolled the Age of Discoveries. Convento de Cristo is known as a convent, but it was built in 1160 as a headquarters for the Knights Templar, the formidable Catholic military that answered to the Pope. When sovereigns feared the Pope had too […]
May-2022
Dunluce Castle (“Dunluce” means “fort of the fort“) sits upon a rocky basalt outcrop, 100 feet above the raging iron-grey ocean below. It is widely recognized as being Ireland’s most picturesque castle. The first castle at Dunluce was built in the 13th century by Richard de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster. However, the ruins left […]
Sorry for those who don’t love history but here is another history post about one of my obsessions — The Knights Templar. Likely originating as a Moorish castle built to protect the coast and situated between two hilltops, it was taken over by Don Paio Peres Correia in 1242. After the Christian reconquest, the castle […]
From the historic center of Sintra, you can access the Moorish Castle and also the Pena National Palace through signposted trails. The trails take hikers through the forest, the small watercourses and some gardens and old villages. Built by the Moors, The Castle of the Moors (Castelo dos Mouros) was built sometime between the 8th […]
Sep-2018
Rock of Cashel is quite a spectacular archaeological site and the limestone ruins lay perched up in contrast above the green Tipperary countryside. The Rock was once the seat of the Kings of Munster. It was visited by St, Patrick in 450 and Brian Boru was crowned King of Ireland here in the 10th century. […]
Aug-2018
Whether you’re yearning to fulfill a fairytale fantasy or you’re just a huge history buff, you may have dreamt about spending the night in a real Irish castle. After nearly three weeks exploring Ireland, we wanted our last night in the Emerald Isle to be a memorable one. So we dusted off our royal robes […]
Jan-2015
Bratislava may be a bit off the beaten track for some travelers, but an enriching destination nonetheless. Located between Vienna and Budapest, this bustling city near an ancient crossing point of the Danube was once known as Pressburg until 1919. Located in the center and above the city is the large dominating structure atop castle […]
What happens when you have limitless money, power and what seems like time on your hands…you build the most lavish and opulent residence in the United States, Hearst Castle. Originally a landholding grant bought by Hearst Family in 1865 at 30,000 acres, the real story of the castle starts in 1919 when William Randolph Hearst […]