Home in Time for Tea

An experience pretty much unique to historic Europe is a visit to an atmospheric, historic castle or fortress. With an uncountable number of fascinating architecture and places to visit, varying from ancient ruins and medieval fortresses, to renaissance and royal abodes, even to enormous haunted icons, it is impossible to pick 'the best'. However some fascinating castles and buildings from my favourite and most recent trips to Europe are listed below. Enjoy! Chateaux of the Loire Valley, France The fairytale grand Renaissance and medieval Chateaux of the Loire Valley in central France are in themselves, uncountable. The area lays claim to a great many aristocratic and royal histories, giving birth to a region rich in chateaux full of splendour and glory. Three of the Richard's and my personal favourites of the Loire are below, heavily influenced by Richard's 'need' to see turrets: 'If it doesn't have at least one turret I'm simply not intere...

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Colmar Old Town After a number of holidays skiing in the French Vosges, I still haven't managed to stop myself reaching for my camera at every opportunity... Conveniently sat in the passenger seat driving through a quaint mountain village, or wandering past the gorgeous colourful little beamed buildings of Strasbourg or Colmar, my camera finds its way into my hands and starts clicking away in every direction. The stunning towns and villages in this part of the world really are reminiscent of perfect model villages, or historic film sets,  with the added bonus of sumptuous patisseries, biscuiteries and boulangeries literally on every street corner - and no starbucks! Traditional Winstub Restaurant - Colmar Colmar Old Town Alsace has a complex and interesting history, with parts of it having belonged in Germany and France intermittently throughout the last few centuries. The traditional food and drink of the region reflects this, for e...

Flicking through European travel photos, it can be striking how many of them feature some sort of imposing stone structure or impressive beamed building. There is an abundance of colourful history out there and it feels so real, standing in front of any one of these structures dwarfed by their size, presence and atmosphere. The following buildings, and types of architecture are really something special, making great sights and points of interest in beautiful and interesting European locations - whether famous or off the beaten track. Historic European Architecture #1: Palais Des Papes, Avignon - France This stunning medieval stone palace was the old seat of the Vatican in the 1300s. Views from the top are beautiful and the atmospheric city of Avignon - which, with its intact city walls and Rhone River setting, makes a beautiful place to admire world-class cuisine and history as well as French culture. Surrounding attractions are the towns of...