Dewi Simon is a Communication Science student at the University of Amsterdam. She is passionate about Scandinavia and loves to travel to the Nordic countries. For a short time, Dewi Simon did a training course within the Social Media KLM team, publishing some articles on the Dutch airline's blog.
One of the articles referred to a special transport. 8 Rolls-Royce car, totaling EUR 4.5 million, were transported on board a Boeing 747-400 KLM Cargo.
Today we write about the castles that Dewi Simon presented on the KLM blog, a ranking that can inspire us in our travels. Among them is Dracula's famous castle - Bran Castle. It is nice to read about Romania on the recommendation of foreigners. For Dewi Simon, the castle is associated with a fairytale scene. Her grandfather took care to pass on this passion for the imposing castles.
Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany
Neuschwanstein Castle is a Romanesque-Renaissance castle built at the end of the XNUMXth century. It is located on a rugged hill above the village of Hohenschwangau in southwestern Bavaria, Germany. The palace was commissioned by King Ludwig II of Bavaria, and was a refuge and homage to Richard Wagner.
Neuschwanstein Castle has opened its doors to the public since 1886, after the King's death. Over 1,3 millions of tourists pass the annual threshold, with a maximum of 6.000 of visitors per day during the summer. The palace has appeared in several films and has been an inspiration for Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle and, later, similar structures. The castle is one of the most famous tourist attractions in Germany.
To visit this castle, fly to Munich. Then drive for about 2 hours to Hohenschwangau village.
Alnwick Castle / Hogwarts, England
Alnwick Castle, also known as Hogwarts, was one of the filming sets of the Harry Potter scenes. The castle is inhabited by the Duke and Duchess of Northumberland. Alnwick is the second largest castle inhabited after Windsor Castle. Fortunately for us all, parts of Alnwick / Hogwarts Castle are open to the public.
Alnwick Castle, also known as the realm of witches, is surrounded by a rich botanical garden. Inside the magnificent park there is a garden of poisonous plants, which houses over 100 "killers" with leaves and petals. Jane Percy, Duchess of Northumberland, is the one who revived the botanical garden next to the castle in 1997. The financial effort to restore the huge field amounted to 42 million pounds.
To visit Alnwick Castle / Hogwarts, fly to New Castle and then drive for about 50 minutes to Alnwick.
Château des Dames, France
Castle of the Ladies, also known as Chateau de Chenonceau, is one of the castles in the Loire Valley in France. It is also known for the beautiful gardens built by Catherine and Diane.
Château des Dames is also famous for its construction, being located on the river Le Cher, near the village of Chenonceaux.
To reach the Château des Dames Castle, fly to Tours (The old part of the city is between the rivers Loara and Cher. The city is twinned with the city of Brașov in Romania), and then drive about 40 minutes.
Pena National Palace, Portugal
National Palace of the Rock it is not a castle, but a palace, but its imposing allure brings it into this ranking. The Pena National Palace became known for its colors, which makes it special.
Palácio Nacional da Pena was built on the ruins of an old monastery, in 1838, under the command of King Ferdinand II. The colors actually make sense. Pink represents the old monastery, and the yellow marks the changes brought by Ferdinand. Palácio de Pena was a castle residence.
To reach the Palácio Nacional da Pena, fly to Lisbon. The palace is at 20 minutes (by car) from the capital of Portugal.
Alcazar of Segovia, Spain
Alcázar Castle of Segovia is near Madrid, an hour's drive to Segovia. It is built on a rock and was originally used to protect the city. Alcázar was a residence for the royal family of Castile.
After a while, the castle was transformed into a state prison. Then King Carlos III founded the Royal Artillery School, starting with 1762. Currently, the General Military Archive occupies part of the castle. But don't worry, much of the castle is open to the traveling public.
To get to Alcázar de Segovia, fly to Madrid. Then drive to Segovia.
Drumlanrig Castle, Scotland
Another architectural gem is Drumlanrig Castle, Scotland. Like any famous castle, Drumlanrig has many rooms decorated with French furniture, silverware and porcelain objects. The castle also contains an art collection signed by Rembrandt.
Drumlanrig Castle is on an impressive domain. You can take part in various activities, such as fishing or mountain biking. There are also many activities for children.
To reach Drumlanrig Castle, fly to Glasgow, then you have about an hour to drive!
Bran Castle, Romania
In his recommendations, Dewi Simon also includes Bran Castle / Dracula's Castle. The castle was built between 1377 and 1382. Initially, Bran Castle was a military fortress of defense, based on the shape of an irregular quadrangle. Over time, the fortress underwent many changes, including: the addition of the south tower (in 1622, according to the plans of Prince Gabriel Bethlen), the construction of a rectangular tower to the east. Between 1883 and 1886, the roof was tiled.
Bran Castle has a tumultuous history. Currently, the four-storey museum displays collections of furniture, costumes, weapons and armor, and Bran Field also includes the Royal Park with the two lakes, the Tea House, the Administrator's House and the Princess Ileana House. After its relocation, in 2009, the castle was remodeled with objects from the Habsburg family collection.
For those who want to visit Bran Castle, you should know that it is at 30 km from Brasov and about 2 hours from Bucharest (if you are lucky enough to go free).
It is still on the list Kasteel de Haar castle in the Netherlands, near Amsterdam, and Hohenzollern castle in Germany, near Stuttgart. But the list remains open. What castles did you visit and recommend?