Saturday 20 February 2010

Castles and Churches and Really Cool Buildings

Well, February is the month of love, they say, and what's more fairy-tale like than a good old-fashioned castle?

Like St. Andrew's Castle, situated at the edge of the sea.

...or Castle Kennedy, down in South Ayrshire.

Airth Castle (shown to best advantage with a bride and groom in front of it!)

I like going onto the isles, still part of Scotland and yet their own little world. Brodick Castle on the Isle of Arran...

...Lochranza Castle, once a hunting lodge for Scottish kings, back into the 14th century. I found a different king claiming ownership when I visited...


And there's more, moving down south to England, with the famous 'Harry Potter Castle' (Alnwick Castle, used in the first two Harry Potter films).


And once I got started finding castle pictures, I couldn't stop there. Because some buildings in the world are fairy-tale romantic even if they aren't castles.

Like Bath Abbey...

...and Westminster Abbey...


...and St Paul's Cathedral in spring.


From London, it's only a short flight to the European mainland. I have a soft spot for the Tour Eiffel in Paris...

...the Trevi Fountain in Rome...

...and, my personal favourite, the Colosseum. Which is best viewed not only from the outside...

...but also the inside.


There's never enough room to tell all the stories in each of these buildings. Some beautiful, some not so much. But I hope you enjoyed at least one or two 'aww' or 'aaaah' moments in these old and beautiful buildings.