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Home » europe

The 5 Prettiest Castles in Europe

May 1, 2014 By Fred Mitchell Leave a Comment

No matter how much we (apparently) grow up, there’s always maybe a teensy weensy side of us left that is a sucker for fairytales. Of course, we now like them in their grown-up and mature versions, and we’re even a bit exhilarated in discovering a bit of Disney’s dark side, but we still enjoy the concept of a fairytale even in modified version, even if it’s in an extremely brutal and shocking medieval fantasy show like Game of Thrones. The same thing would apply to castles, or, better said, as a consequence of our soft side for fairytales, most of us also admire the beauty of a castle. There’s something just undeniably majestic and beautiful about them, even in a gothed-up version where they’re abandoned and dark and haunted.

If you agree with this so far, we’ve put together a list of the most spectacular castles in Europe, which you really need to visit if you get the chance. If there’s any doubt about this, perhaps it should be mentioned that putting together such a list is very, very hard, since there are so many beautiful castles to choose from and all offer a little something unique. Anyway, here it goes, in no particular order:

1. Mont Saint Michel (France)

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This breath-taking castle is situated on a little island about 1 km off Normandy’s coast, with a population of only a few dozen people, but visited by more than 3 million people each year. I guess having an exquisite UNESCO-protected castle on your little piece of land really does help with the tourism. And taking a moment to look at this one, even in a picture, somehow makes you easily understand why so many people would travel there to see it for real.

2. Neuschwanstein Castle (Germany)

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This highly poetic castle in the Bavaria region of Germany was conceived in the utmost poetic detail with the help of Wagner. It draws its inspiration from a variety of the artist’s works, as well as pieces and bits of old Germanic lore. It was built in the 19th century by King Ludwig II and opened to the public immediately after his mysterious death. The name of the castle translates as “New Swan Stone Castle” and the king who built it is now colloquially called “the swan king” in Germany precisely because of this masterpiece.

3. Bodiam Castle (England)

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Once glance and you can see why this one deserves its spot into the list of prettiest castles in Europe. It was built in 1385 (isn’t it gorgeous and incredibly well-kept considering how much time has passed?) by Sir Edward Dalyngrigge. Especially because it’s in England, the impression it gives is straight out of a Knights of the Round Table’s tale.

4. Kilkenny Castle (Ireland)

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Another incredibly old building (it was built in 1185), the Kilkenny Castle is today a major tourist attraction has played an important part in the region’s history. Originally commissioned as a better control point over a junction of commercial roads, it eventually influenced the way the vicinity was populated and the settlements that were built on the way to it.

5. Conwy Castle, Wales (England)

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This one deserves a spot as well in the list of prettiest castles. Just look at those 8 towers and behold how solid, yet beautiful they look! It was built by Edward the I in his conquest of Wales in the 13th century and it was the most expensive building he ever commissioned. Even in that era of war and unrest, it was definitely worth every coin spent on it, especially since it stands to this day.

Don’t miss out on the chance to visit either of them if you can; well-preserved medieval beauties like these are a breath-taking rarity.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: castles, europe, medieval, pretty

The Bus of the Future, of the Past

July 4, 2012 By Vernon Gadson 2 Comments

It looks like something out of a Flash Gordon movie or a feature of a Buck Rogers outer-space adventure. But no, the Citroen U55 Cityrama Currus bus is the stuff of fact and not science-fiction. It is also the stuff of the past: this hyper-futuristic double-decker bus was constructed by French coachbuilder Currus in 1950 for tour operator Groupe Cityrama. Cruising through the scenic boulevards of Paris, it served as a tour bus of the City of Love, where Parisian onlookers would routinely stare at its outrageous figure and fear that they had accidentally stepped through a time portal, or that an alien invasion was imminent.

Reportedly, the vehicle was built atop the chassis of a Citroen U55 truck. It is almost entirely covered in wrap-around glass, including the upper-deck roof, which would be slid away on a fine summer’s day. It has a pointed tip protruding from its forehead, the practical use of which is debatable at best. Its strikingly unorthodox design earned it a place in several movies of the era, though sadly none of them were of the sci-fi genre: it can be seen in Louis Malle’s 1960 comedy satire “Zazie Dans Le Métro,” and then in Gérard Oury’s 1965 comedy “Le Corniaud.”

Check out further images of the bus below, and feel intense jealousy for those who, 60 years ago, got the chance to ride in this space-age automobile. [Read more…]

Filed Under: fun Tagged With: adventure, alien invasion, buck rogers, bus, capital, europe, flash gordon, france, paris, public transportation, science fiction, space age, strange, the city of love, tourism, vehicle, weird

Euro 2012: Lego Recreations of the Tournament’s Greatest Moments

June 15, 2012 By Vernon Gadson Leave a Comment

Have you been watching the 2012 European Championships? Yeah, me neither. But hey, this might pique your interest: a teenage football fan from Scotland has celebrated the (apparently very exciting) sports event by recreating some of the most memorable moments from past tournaments – in Lego! 18-year-old Graham Love spent four weeks painstakingly manipulating pint-sized plastic figures to make the stop-motion video, which he uploaded onto YouTube and which has went down a storm.

If you’re a footy fan, you may recognise some of the famous scenes receiving the Lego treatment in Love’s video: Cristiano Ronaldo weeping at Portugal’s Euro 2004 loss, for example, as well as David Trezeguet winning the tournament for France in 2000. He also leaves a question mark open for England’s performance this year. Well, we shall see (I’m sure I’ll read about it somewhere). Below are some screenshots from the video, and right at the bottom is the video itself. Enjoy. [Read more…]

Filed Under: sports Tagged With: britain, cool, england, euro 2012, europe, european championships, football, funny, gazza, lego, memorable moments, scotland, soccer, sport, sports celebrations, videos, youtube

Gigantic Yellow Rabbit Chillin’ In Sweden

August 19, 2011 By ThisBlogRules Leave a Comment

What on earth has happened here? Has a gigantic toy fallen from the heavens? Or are we gazing at the Big Yellow Rabbit of Örebro in Sweden? This gargantuan yellow rabbit is both hated and loved by citizens of Sweden.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: strange news Tagged With: animal, art, europe, giant, huge, huge rabbit, installation, modern, orebo, rabbit, sculpture, street, sweden, urban

The Brave, The Bold, The Incredibly Stupid: 5 “Heroic” Charges That Ended in Disaster

August 15, 2011 By ThisBlogRules Leave a Comment

We’ve all seen it in movies: the good guys appear to be seconds from defeat, surrounded and outnumbered. Then, just when all hope is lost, reinforcements come over the horizon, and the bugler sounds the charge as dramatic music plays and the bad guys get a swift kick to the seat of the pants. Hell, even history, the greatest of all storytellers, is littered with stupidly awesome charges that won the day, such as the story of Colonel Joshua Chamberlain, who found himself at the command of the 20th Maine Regiment on Little Round Top during the Battle of Gettysburg, weathering repeated charges by Confederate soldiers. With ammunition supplies almost exhausted, and retreat not being an option, Chamberlain decided to take the fight to the enemy. With Bayonets. [Read more…]

Filed Under: fun Tagged With: agincourt, armistead, army, bad guy, battle of gettysburg, battles, british, charges, cliche, constantine, crimean war, europe, film, french, george bush, germany, history, hitler, hundred years war, last stand, legolas, light brigade, lord of the rings, middle ages, mustache, napoleon, nazis, northern virginia, pickett's charge, polish, shakespeare, war, world war 1, yankees, zombies

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