A visit to Luxembourg would not be complete without visiting a castle or two. Vianden Castle, and the quaint little town of the same name around it, is a great choice for a day trip. Getting to Vianden from Luxembourg City There are a few options on how to get from Luxembourg City to Vianden.… Continue reading
If you’re looking for a list of fun things to do in Prague, look no further. Prague offers a huge range of fun sites, attractions and events to please everyone visiting this beautiful old European city. Storm the Castle Archaeological evidence suggests that Prince Bořivoj of the Premyslid Dynasty founded Prague Castle as far back… Continue reading
Eilean Donan Castle in Scotland has been a popular filming location for decades. Some of you may recognize it from films such as Rob Roy, Entrapment, or The World Is Not Enough. I best remember it as the ancestral home of Connor MacLeod from the Highlander franchise. And if you remember it the same way… Continue reading
If you’re a history buff, you will love visiting Stirling, Scotland. You can hit the highlights in one very full day, or spread out your visit over two days. Here are my top picks for some of the most interesting historic sites in Stirling: 1. Stirling Castle Stirling Castle is probably the biggest draw in… Continue reading
St Andrews, Scotland is one of those towns that’s compact enough to see in a day or two, but interesting enough to make the stop worthwhile. The earliest known name for this area was Cennrígmonaid, in Old Gaelic. As the story goes, a 4th Century monk named Regulus (or Saint Rule) brought relics belonging to… Continue reading
What better place to spend your birthday than at a castle? My husband and I share the same birth date, which just happened to coincide with our trip to Portugal. We decided to spend the day in a sweet, picturesque little town called Sintra. Sintra has a ridiculous number of castles and palaces littering its… Continue reading
A visit to Germany just isn’t complete without seeing the spectacular Neuschwanstein Castle. We booked a day trip through a local Munich-based tour group to get there. The tour also included a stop at Linderhof Palace. Both Linderhof Palace and Neuschwanstein were built by King Ludwig, also known as the Mad King Ludwig. Ludwig II was… Continue reading
For some reason, it never occured to me that Japan would have castles. But when my husband and I took a day trip to Himeji Castle, we discovered a side of historic Japan we never expected. Himeji Castle is located in the city of Himeji, which is about an hour-long train trip west of Osaka.… Continue reading
Probably the most iconic (and touristy) thing to do in Ireland is to kiss the blarney stone. In fact, I think it’s mandatory. They won’t let you out of the country until you do it. Sometimes, the touristy attractions draw a crowd for valid reasons. The theory around the blarney stone, of course, is that… Continue reading
Just a short walk up the hill from the Moorish Castle in Sintra, Portugal, is the spectacular Pena Palace. Painted in vivid shades of yellow, red and blue with highly detailed ornamental trim, it’s the kind of palace one would expect to see at Walt Disney World. But the only roller coaster you’ll find here is… Continue reading
