From the heart

Frequently known as Shirasagijō (the “White Heron Castle”) because of its brilliant white exterior and supposed resemblance to a bird taking flight is one of the first UNESCO World Heritage Sites (located in Himeji, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan). With the will of God, this magnificent structure and the city of Himeji was thankfully spared by the devastation during the quake on […]

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German vacation 1

The bizarre wooden castle “Schachenhaus” sits atop an Alpine mountain peak in the German state of Bavaria, a lesser-known but by no means less surreal figment of King Ludwig II’s imagination (famous for Neuschwanstein, aka Disney’s Cinderella castle). Unlike Ludwig’s other “fairytale” castles, you can only get to this gem via a hellish 5-hour hike, […]

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