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The link to this page is:
http://www.thepastwhispers.com/Land_of_Castles.html
Land of Castles
When I decided to devote a page to castles in Wales, I had no idea that
Wales is often called the "castle capital of the world" because of the number
of castles constructed there.  Over the centuries, Wales has been home
to over 600 castles and more than 100 are still standing.
The four castles of Beaumaris, Caernarfon, Conwy and Harlech make up the
"Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd" World Heritage Site,
considered to be the finest examples of 13th and 14th century military
architecture in Europe.
All of the photos on this page - castles, as well as other scenes - were
taken in Wales.  Most of the castles pictured were built between the 11th
and 14th centuries.
A Disney World ad proclaims:  "This is a place where castle spires gleam
in the night sky - this is a place where magic lives!"
After my photo search for this page, I can't help thinking that the same
could be said of the beautiful country of Wales.
-- Nancy
Above and below:  Caerphilly Castle
(The photo at the top of the page:  Cardiff Castle)
Above & below:  Conwy Castle
Resting on the ruins of Beaumaris Castle
Bronllys Castle
Castell Coch
Carew Castle
The shattered wall,
the broken tower
have a story to tell;
from the touchstones of
ruins and ancient texts
we make a pilgrimage.
-- Michael Alexander
Dryslwyn Castle
Aberystwyth Castle
Chirk Castle
Caerphilly Castle, the largest castle in Wales
Some people like to visit restored castles, filled with rooms of luxurious
furnishings and priceless art.  As you can tell by the majority of photos
on this page, I gravitate to the ruins.  I would rather use my imagination
to fill in the missing windows and walls - to conjure up how it might have
been.  Ruins have an aura of romance that can't be found in perfectly
restored rooms.  And, on a misty morning - in the quiet company of
the crumbling walls - it's easier to commune with the ghosts of times
gone by.  I think they must prefer the ruins, too.
-- Nancy
Above:  Pembroke Castle today
Below:  Pembroke Castle, ca. 1890
The past is never dead.  It's not even the past.
-- William Faulkner
Castell Pennard
Above:  Ruins of Castell Dinas Brân
Below:  Castell Dinas Brân, viewed from a distance
Dolbadarn Castle
I know the laughter and the pain of times that will not come again.
-- Sara Teasdale
Harlech Castle
Ruperra Castle
Hensol Castle
If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost, that is
where they should be.  Now put the foundations under them.
-- Henry David Thoreau
Castell y Bere
Days and months and years go by; shadows rise and fall; long-ago
voices drift softly on summer breezes echoing through the rafters and
the beams...deserted, but not quiet...abandoned, but not empty.
-- Author Unknown
Carew Castle
Penrhyn Castle
Tintern Abbey, the first Cistercian foundation in Wales, founded
in 1131.  Cistercian architecture is considered one of the most
beautiful styles of medieval architecture.
Usk Castle
Rhuddlan Castle
St. Donat's Castle