Beaumaris is my favorite castle.* It's a sweet little castle (by castle standards) on the isle of Anglesey in Wales.
Getting there can be a bit tricky, as you may recall from my story of the Worst Airplane Trip Ever, but believe me, it's worth the effort.
Not too big, not too small, I imagine that it could be a lovely place to live, if you had about eleventy-bajillion dollars to restore it. As you can see, it could use a few windows, maybe some floors, and a roof.
And can you imagine waking up to this view of the Welsh mountains every day?
Beaumaris is also one of the most perfect examples of the concentric castle. (For anyone out there who's not a castle aficionado, that means there's one ringed wall inside of another one.)
Originally, the sea came right up to the castle, creating a water barrier around the entire outer ring. Here's a picture of the gatehouse, or portcullis gate... the portcullis is also known as the little grate thingy that comes down to keep the bad guys out.
My friend Julie Bero is also a fan of Beaumaris and created this sketch of the offset interior doors. Beaumaris was designed so that if invaders penetrated the gate house, they wouldn't have a straight shot at the next entryway. The sketch hangs on my living room wall to remind me of this lovely place.
But although I have fantasies of living in a castle and Beaumaris in particular, what I really want is to be Castle. If you haven't yet seen it, Castle is a new television show featuring a mystery writer who gets to hang out with police in New York to do research for his books. (It stars Nathan Fillion as Rick Castle.) He even gets a bullet proof vest with WRITER on it in lieu of POLICE. And Castle is uber rich, so he gets to do whatever the hell he wants. No money worries for Castle. I want to be the blogger version of Castle. I'd have nothing to do all day long, but go around checking things out to see if I'd like to write about them. And I want me some BLOGGER body armor... now that would be the epitome of cool!
*Giving credit where credit is due... since all of my photos of Beaumaris are in slide format up in the scary attic, I took the liberty of sharing these beauties with you from Jeffry L. Thomas. (They're surprisingly very similar to the photos I took.) All the Beaumaris photos are copyright 2009 by Jeffrey L Thomas.
To learn more about Welsh castles and see more of Thomas's photos, you can go to http://www.castlewales.com
34 comments:
Great photos! I've had a fascination with castles ever since a kid. Would LOVE to tour all over Europe one day and visit those incredible architectrual masterpieces from an era long gone.
Marvin D Wilson
Ditto! Great photos. Old stonework is quite beautiful. It has that agelessness, a mystique, in every nook and cranny of stone.
Cool. Great pics. Good luck with that getting rich from blogging thing, eh.
I love castles too....it would be so cool to live in a castle...lots of places to hide from the kids.
It is amazing how some of those structures stand for so many centuries!
Loved your castle theme and, by the way, I too am a fan of the TV show...have been from the start. I identify with the mother character (played by Susan Sullivan), a gracefully aging actress who likes her vino.
Sold! When I win the eleventy-bajillion dollar lottery, I'm going to buy this place. Great photos.
Marvin: It's been a long time since I got to travel overseas. *sigh* Maybe some day I'll be able to get back there.
Michelle: There's just something about castles that triggers my imagination. I've been intrigued ever since I heard my first fairy tale.
Dufus: My plan is to be independently wealthy so I don't have to actually work at doing anything! So, all I need to do is find that lovely, independently wealthy man who would like to support me in the style to which I could easily become accustomed. Bwahahaha!
Lee: Nooks & crannies & hiding places are definitely part of the mystique! Caernarvon is a great castle for running through the passageways!
Otin: Kind of like me... it's amazing I'm still standing!
Janice: Ah, now there's a classy lady... I'd like to be her, too!
Me-Me: I could always be your scullery maid if you win the money first.
I went to school with a kid named Steve Castle.
True story.
Oh, it's spectacular!
I love touring castles. If you listen carefully you can almost hear the people of past that were there.
Oh, sorry..that's me. It's lunchtime.
:-)
Thanks for your post! Lovely!
Loved your Welsh castle. I have not been to Wales -- but I have posted some Scottish castles on my blog for today's TT.
Moooooog: That makes you almost famous!
Strange number/letter person: Definitely spectacular, but not as spectacular as your "number name".
Nancy: Whisperings of knights of yore... I like it!
AngelMay: We're covering the British Isles today!
I love castles too. BTW I can picture you in a bulletproof vest with BLOGGER on the back. :)
Summer: I know... all badass bloggers should be issued BLOGGER body armor!
That looks like a great castle! I want to go there now. Aigues Mortes in France is very impressive too.
Beautiful photos and I would love to be Castle's character as well.
Wonderful pics! Love them. And my wife likes the show. :)
Those are some GORGEOUS photos. I didn't read the post you linked to, but I'm assuming you've been to Wales? I AM SO JEALOUS! I would love to visit there and wander among the castles and hills. So beautiful.
Equally beautiful is Nathan Fillion. The premise for that show sounds ridiculously entertaining. I didn't realize he was a writer; from the commercials, I thought they were both just cops. I may have to check it out.
I love castles. And armor. And swords, knights, holy grails and secret treasure. In fact, I'd like to be a treasure hunter, like Indiana Jones but with less of the getting punched in the face part. Unfortunately, I'm just a writer, and not a really cool, rich writer like that dude, Castle. Although I look just about as nerdy as he does in that photo. Sigh.
Great pics! So beautiful...like me...lol! j/k
Eric: I want to go there too... now! Let's plan a rendezvous!
e: Castle has the perfect life, doesn't he?
Wings: Thanks!
JD: I've been there twice... love it! Would love to go again. You'll have to check out Castle, too.
Mike: Swords, knights, holy grail, secret treasure... it's all good!
BS & BC: Beautiful, like you! For sure!
Incredible, aren't they? as your photos show.
It is lovely...if money were no object, wouldn't it be fun to restore?
My ancestors are from Wales. My daughter fell in love with that castle. I told her it was probably because her ancestors were the poor slobs who built it.
Oh, wow. Now I must pop in Bryn Terfel's Welsh album, since I'm totally in the mood...
I love that castle! When I was in Wales ages ago I got to Cardiff castle. But that was the only one we had time for that trip. I hope to get back to Wales one day.
I love the show Castle and the character he plays also.
I was in Beaumoris Castle a month ago. My grandparents live i Anglesey. I love that place :)
...mmm... Incredible indeed!
Betsy: Now, THAT would be a project!
Gladys: I know... I would have definitely been a scullery maid!
Willow: I became a fan of Ar Log years ago and still enjoy listening to them. I also loved going out to dinner with our Welsh hosts and listening to everyone in the restaurant break into song. Beautiful! (Although, they nearly killed me with their pub crawls!)
Barb: I had dinner at Cardiff Castle when I was there. Lots of fun!
Peach Tart: Rick Castle is a great character! Love his sense of humor... like a big kid.
Jasmine: Lucky you! Isn't it just divine!
Really pretty photos. Nice place to visit, but I'd need modern plumbing.
Nice castles! Hum...that almost sounds dirty.
I do like castles but I think I would get lost inside that one!
What a wonderful castle. Thanks for sharing. I'd like to see all of Ireland, Scotland and England some day. I have a lot of heritage there.
ok, i almost spit precious wine all of my even more precious macbook pro reading your explanation of a portcullis. i think i need me one of those around my desk. and perhaps a concentric circle. there are a lot of ancient mariners that need to be kept out...but i digress.
thank you for the laugh and since my wine cost eleventy bajillion dollars (since i'm in norway), i managed not to spit any of it out, so no alcohol was abused. nor mac harmed in the making of this comment.
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