Stop #1 Bunratty Castle is the most complete and authentic medieval castle in Ireland, located not far from Shannon. Built in 1425 it was restored in 1954. With an ambitious itinerary and a burning desire to get to the Ring of Kerry, we didn’t visit this castle for long. And the rain certainly made it […]
Stop #25 This was my second visit to Budapest, with my first visit about 15 or so years ago. The city is as beautiful as I remember it, but this time it felt like there were a lot more tourists. I was probably too ambitious about seeing as much as possible in the day and […]
Stop #18 Bran Castle is the one everyone talks about when they mention Transylvania. My vote would be to skip it and go instead to Pele’s Castle in Sinaia. It was the true highlight or Transylvania. I managed to get some pictures of Bran Castle that look as though nobody is anywhere near the place, […]
Stop #14 Corvin Castle is one of the largest castles in Europe, and definitely Randy’s favorite visit of the trip. The castle was was laid out in 1446. The castle is Renaissance-Gothic style. The castle also has a double wall for fortification and has both rectangular and circular towers, typical for Transylvanian architecture. Some of […]
Stop #11 Built in the 12th century, Spiš Castle was part of the Kingdom of Hungary and then owned by several families and later by the state of Czechoslovakia then Slovakia. Originally a Romanesque stone castle with fortifications, a two-story Romanesque palace and a three-nave Romanesque-Gothic basilica were constructed by the second half of the […]
Stop #8 Today it is a museum housing the Crown Treasury & Armory, State Rooms, Royal and Private Apartments, Lost Wawel, and Exhibition of Oriental Art. We needed separate tickets for each of them, so we splurged and it was worth it! The State Rooms and the Private Apartments were the best part. The Cathedral […]
Stop #3 Orava Castle (Oravský hrad) sits on a high rock above the Orava river . Dating to the 13th century, Original design was in Romanesque and Gothic style, but it was later reconstructed as a Renaissance and Neo-Gothic building. It is now a National Monument. We were lucky to see it in autumn, with […]
Stop #2 Bojnice is a historical town in central Slovakia. The centerpiece is the Castle, built in the 12th century in Gothic and Renaissance style. The castle wasn’t open to visitors on Mondays, so we didn’t get to tour the inside, which was fine given the day we had planned! Bojnice Castle was originally built […]
