Thursday, September 03, 2026

History Highlights

The Château d'Amboise dominating the River Loire

Château d’Amboise: Where the French Renaissance Was Born

High above the little town of Amboise, on a great rocky spur overlooking the River Loire, stands one of the most important royal residences in the history of France. The

Château de Chenonceau spanning the River Cher

Château de Chenonceau: The Castle of the Ladies

There is no other castle in the world quite like Chenonceau. Most great chateaux sit proudly on a hill or beside a river; Chenonceau does something far more daring. It

Château de Chambord rising from its Loire Valley park

Château de Chambord: The Renaissance Dream in the Forest

Come around the last bend in the road, and Chambord simply stops you. Out of the flat forest of the Sologne rises a fantasy in pale stone, a great white

The great courtyard of Dublin Castle

Dublin Castle: The Fortress That Ruled Ireland

Most castles are content to guard one town or one stretch of coast. Dublin Castle set out to rule a whole country. For the better part of seven hundred years

The Rock of Cashel rising above the Tipperary plain

The Rock of Cashel: Ireland’s Fortress of Kings and Saints

Some places feel almost too dramatic to be real, and the Rock of Cashel is one of them. Rising straight out of the flat green farmland of County Tipperary, this