The Sightseeing Smiths: Castles

I love castles. I've seen my fair share, and over the past 2 1/2 years, i've seen more than I would have ever thought. When my sister and I were younger, my mom and dad would take us on castle/mansion tours all over New England... I loved being able to go inside and see the old architecture, and walk around the grounds. The "castles" of New England are beautiful, but usually only date back to the 1800's-1900's. So, being able to see "real" castles, built as early as the 1100's, is so amazing to me... I will never get tired of visiting these places.

The castles in Europe that I visited ranged from being well restored (and furnished) to ruins, but i enjoyed them all the same. There are so many more in Germany that I didn't get to see during that trip, but I cant wait to go back to visit more.

The castles in Japan that I have visited are all ruins at this point, with the exception of Shuri Castle (the last picture you will see). It is said that there are close to 500 castle ruins located in the Ryukyu Island chain, so it may take us a while to see them all...

Enjoy the pics!