Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, Germany

Let's go travel in Europe again! This time I am bringing you back to Deutschland or Germany in English. I am featuring one of the most beautiful castles not only in Germany but in whole of Europe as well. The Schloss Neuschwanstein as it is called in German, is considered to be the most photograph architecture in Germany. It is also famous not only because it appeared in several movies but due to the fact that this castle was the inspiration for Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle.

I had been to this castle four times already and I always love it there. It is located on a hill in the village of Hohenschwangau near Füssen in Bavaria, Germany. I remember during fist visit where we stayed in one of the hotels in Füssen. From there, Neuschwanstein is only less an hour drive.

The castle was commissioned by King Ludwig II of Bavaria from his own fortune and from extensive borrowing of funds. It is a 19th-century Romanesque Revival palace. Its construction started in 1869.

I read in a German newspaper last year that the Bavarian government would like to apply it to the list of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Here are some images I took from this castle.

the beautiful Neuschwanstein Castle during my fourth visit with friends last July 2011.

view of the front of the castle with its towers. There is now a platform being made to see this scene.

I am joining again these wonderful memes: Special thanks to the Authors for hosting it;

Tuesday Travels, Orange Tuesday, 366 Blog Photo Challenge, WEDNESDAY WHITES,
Black and White Wednesday

I Love Alhambra in Granada, Spain

This beautiful city which is located at the foot of Sierra Nevada in the region of Andalusia, Spain is truly marvelous. I feel in love with its beauty adding to the fact that we visited lot of interesting and historical sights there including the famous Alhambra.

The Alhambra is considered to be the most striking, best preserved Arabian palace in the whole world.This is the monument that still gleams bright considering much of Moorish Granada. Alhambra an Arabic word which literally means the "red one" was constructed during the mid 14th century by the Moorish rulers of the Emirate of Granada in al-Andalus. It is occupying the top of the hill of the Assabica on the southeastern border of the city of Granada.

If you are visiting Granada, be sure not to miss Alhambra. Our tour guide told us that you must book your ticket months before especially during peak summer season. Alhambra is truly a must to see.

view of the Alhambra from teh garden of Generalife. I am glad to visit it once in my life. I was there with my friend Joy last December 8, 2011. It was a very memorable trip in this Andalusian city of Spain.

The Patio de los Arrayanes with the Comares tower, a crenellated fortress 45 meters high. I wish to go back again in this city and explore more about Alhambra. For some reason, I just love this place.

Skywatch Friday
Weekend Reflection
Scenic Sunday
Shadow Shot Sunday
Sunday Snapshot

Visit To Kallmünz and Its Castle in Bavaria, Germany

A friend called me yesterday and asked me if I want to go with them a bit sightseeing to some places in Bavaria, Germany. I told her, "sure why not, just leave a message in my facebook and let me know what time are we leaving." And so the story goes...

From my friend's house, the way going to Kallmünz (written in English as Kallmuenz) will be passing to our home, she decided to just pick me up. We left today around 11:10 am. We don't have snow this winter time (and I am glad about it) but still wearing a good winter jacket is a must because it is still cold outside.

To make the story shorter, we climbed the castle ruins in Kallmünz since it is located on top of the hill. From there you will have a fantastic view of the whole town and its surroundings. Here are some of the images I took today.

view of Kallmünz town and the Naab river during our visit today.
You can also see the medieval old stone bridge over the river Naab at the middle of the image here.

Kallmünz is a municipality located in the district of Regensburg in Bavaria, Germany.

the imposing tower of Kallmünz Castle's

the Ruins of the Castle's Chapel located near the castle's tower.

Skywatch Friday
Weekend Reflection
Scenic Sunday
Shadow Shot Sunday
Sunday Snapshot

I Love Madrid, Spain

Another dream come true! I had the chance to finally visit the capital city of Spain. Madrid is awesome! I love love love love and love this city. For me, it is the most unique city I visited in Europe. I can't exactly explain as well but there is something in Madrid and in Spain as a whole that captured my heart. I fall in love with this country.

I have been to some big cities in Europe like Vienna, Budapest, London, Brussels, Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam, Zurich, Luxembourg, Paris, Cologne, Rome, Monaco, Venice, Frankfurt, Munich, Verona, Salzburg, Dresden, Las Vegas, California, Manila, Cebu, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, and so many more but Madrid is simply unique.

When I visited Monaco last spring of this year, I told myself, if I have the chance to choose where I live now, I would choose Monaco. Sad to say, it changed suddenly. When I recently visited Spain, I changed my mind. No more Monaco and how I wish I live somewhere in Spain right now.

Ah, I am dreaming again. But dreaming is the only thing I can have and it is for free. In fact, most of my dreams are coming true now. Most of the places that I am dreaming and aiming to visit went to reality. I was there, to the places where I can never imagine I was.

There are a lot of things I would love to share during our 8-days trip to Spain. I wish I have more time to slowly share it here or maybe in my other travel blogs. So please, sit back and relax..more updates and travel images about Spain to come soon!

Lastly, I would like to say,

"Live with your dreams,
Work for it and One Day,
Those Dreams will slowly come true."

Ruby Benz

I wish I had the chance to go inside this palace but a day trip in Madrid is not enough to see everything. I wish to visit this city again in the future. Taken during our visit last December 10, 2011.

The Palacio Real (Royal Palace) is an enormous palace, one of the biggest in Europe, with scorching plains of concrete around it. Though it is the official residence of the King of Spain, the royal family does not actually reside here and it is generally used only for state ceremonies. The Royal Palace is considered to be one of the most emblematic and beautiful buildings in Madrid, not only for its location on a bluff overlooking the river valley but also for its architecture and the artistic treasures to be found in its rooms.

Linderhof Palace in Bavaria, Germany

This is one of the favorite palaces I visited in Germany. Linderhof Palace was commissioned by King Ludwig II of Bavaria. It is so far the smallest of the three palaces he built. What I love most is the location of Linderhof. The scenery around is breath-taking, with hills and mountains, forest, gardens and a little lake nearby.

We had the chance to go inside the palace. Sad to say, no pictures are allowed to take inside. I admired everything I saw inside especially the never ending avenue reflected by the Hall of Mirrors. The Audience Chamber, the dining room and the bedchamber are also amazing.

The water parterre in front of the castle is dominated by a large basin with the gilt fountain group "Flora and puttos". The fountain itself is nearly 25 meters high.

NF Waters
Watery, Wordful
Outdoor Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday

The Würzburg Residence in Bavaria, Germany

I had been in Würzburg (written in English as Wuerzburg) for a lot of times already. I had seen the Würzburg Residence but did not had the chance to go inside of it. Hopefully in my next visit, I can already go inside this beautiful and historical palace.

Front of the Residenz and Cour d'honneur. taken during our visit last August 2011.

The Würzburg Residence with its Court Gardens and Residence Square was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1981. According to the Advisory Body Evaluation, the inclusion in the List was a "measure... so clearly desirable that the proposal of the Federal Republic of Germany does not require lengthy justification... The Residence is at once the most homogeneous and the most extraordinary of the Baroque palaces... It represents a unique artistic realization by virtue of its ambitious program, the originality of creative spirit and the international character of its workshop." more about this palace

Visit to the Warwick Castle in England

I was lead to this question of what country in Europe has the most castles. So far when I visited Prague, Czech Republic or Paris, England, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg or Netherlands, I did not see a lot of castles in these countries. I am not really so sure which country in Europe has the most castles then but I found a lot in Germany especially in the state of Bayern or Bavaria. I need to find this out later.

Warwick castle is one of the castle I visited in England. It is a medieval castle in Warwick, the county town of Warwickshire, England. It sits on a bend on the River Avon. The castle was built by William the Conqueror in 1068 within or adjacent to the Anglo-Saxon burh of Warwick.

Our visit to this castle was a very memorable one because it was Halloween as we went there.

I took this image during my visit last 2008.

Warwick Castle is situated in the town of Warwick, on a sandstone bluff at a bend of the River Avon. The river, which runs below the castle on the east side, has eroded the rock the castle stands on, forming a cliff.

The Castle Ruins in Laaber, Germany

I once climbed this castle ruins in Laaber. It is a municipality in Regensburg in the state of Bavaria, Germany. I am trying to look the first images that I took some years ago but to no success, I just can't locate it right now. The castle was said to be built around the 1200.

taken last May 2011. I was in the parking lot of Edeka grocery shop when I took this image.

Europe Travel in Dinant, Belgium

Dinant is a city in Namur, Belgium. We had some hours sightseeing there during our trip from Brussels to Luxembourg last summer 2010. The city is not so big but I found it very interesting. The main tourist sites are within walking distance so you need to take a public transport.

The city's landmark is the Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame. It was rebuilt in Gothic style on its old foundations after falling rocks from the adjacent cliff partially destroyed the former Romanesque style church in 1227.

the fortified Citadel of Dinant on top of a hill. It was first built in the 11th century to control the Meuse valley. I rode a cable car to reach its top and had a bit sightseeing.

The city of Dinant taken from the fortress of Citadel. A spectacular views of the town and countryside in Citadel. I love this scenery.

Schlossberg, The Castle ruins in Hohenfels, Bavaria, Germany

This is the tower of Schlossberg castle. It is the only remain of the castle that is visible around Hohenfels. Hohenfels is a municipality in Neumarkt, Upper Palatinate in Bavaria, Germany. It is also the home of the U.S. Military Base or the CMTC, Combat Maneuver Training Center.

The original castle was built in the 14th century.

This was taken last spring 2010. The tulips add beauty to it.

The Royal Palace of Brussels in Belgium

The Royal Palace of Brussels is the most imposing building in the capital city of Brussels, Belgium. It is called in French language as Palais Royal de Bruxelles and is the official palace of the King of the Belgians. It was modified by King Leopold II in 1904. It is located in front of Brussels Park where we also had the chance to sit and relax.

a lion statue in front of the Palace fence.
These images were taken during our visit last August 2010.

the beautiful garden in front of the palace.

The palace is situated in front of Brussels Park. A long square called the Paleizenplein/Place des Palais separates the palace from the park. The middle axis of the park marks both the middle peristyle of the palace and the middle of the facing building on the other side of the park, which is the Palace of the Nation (the Belgian Federal Parliament building). The two facing buildings are said to symbolize Belgium's system of government: a constitutional monarchy.