A Castle from a Fairy Tale

A castle from a Fairy tale

Once upon a time

Chateau Erken, in the Russian Federation’s Kabardino-Balkaria autonomous republic, looks like an extremely well-preserved medieval castle, but, this architectural wonder is just over a decade old. Located in the vineyard-dominated countryside of Kabardino-Balkaria, Chateau Erken is a tourist attraction unlike any other in Russia. Not only does it mimic the fortress-like design of European medieval castles, but its location in the middle of a man-made lake full of fish and wild birds is also just as impressive. People from all over the country come to this rural area in Southern Russia to see Chateau Erken in person. Photos and videos of this amazing castle have been doing the rounds on social media for years, but some people still can’t believe it exists and that it was built not by a king, but by a legendary businessman.

Fairy tale, castle, Chateau Erken, Russia
Chateau Erken, Kabardino-Balkaria

Tembulat Erkenov is synonymous with the wine industry of Kabardino-Balkaria. After graduating from the Faculty of Agronomy, he was sent to work in a communist collective, but quickly rose through the ranks and eventually became Deputy Chairman of the Government of Kabardino-Balkaria. Later in life, he went on to establish his own winery, Chateau Erken, which is recognised as one of the best in Russia.

Inspired by the castles he visited during his many travels through Europe, Erkenov decided to build his very own medieval castle; not just a small-scale replica, but an actual life-size one. The architectural winder was completed in 2010. Today, the main operations of Chateau Erken are located inside this magnificent castle, but the place serves as a local tourist attraction as well. Those who want to see the inside of the place must pay for a tour, but there is plenty to see from the outside beside the castle and the lake. It surrounded by forests and tourists often come here to get away from the city and to watch wild birds. Erkenov passed away in 2017, leaving his son to handle the affairs of Chateau Erken. The five-storey castle he built remains as a testament to his work.

Source: Sunday Midday dated 6-2-2022


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10 best churches to visit in France

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Are you planning on visiting France for a peaceful and serene vacation? After you tour the whole city, there are many ancient churches in France for you to visit. Every city has at least one traditional church that symbolises the authenticity of the place. So, here is an ultimate list of the 10 best churches to visit on your vacation in France. 


10 Best churches to visit in France on your vacation

  1. Mont Saint Michel Abbey
  2. Notre Dame de la Garde
  3. Sacre-Coeur
  4. Rouen Cathedral
  5. Monolithic Church of Saint-Jean
  6. Chartres Cathedral
  7. Notre Dame de Paris
  8. Strasbourg Cathedral
  9. Bourges Cathedral
  10. Reims Cathedral

10 Best Places of Interest in Spain

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Spain is an important place to visit once in your lifetime. Spain has everything, from seashores to mountains to notable landmarks to chapels and royal residences. Guests from everywhere in the world come here to partake in these sights to explore. Let’s explore some places.

List of 10 best places of interest in Spain

  • Salamanca
  • Granada
  • Barcelona
  • Mallorca
  • Madrid
  • Seville
  • Valencia
  • San Sebastian
  • Cordoba
  • Segovia
  1. Salamanca
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Salamanca is a notable place. It is worth building treasures and absolute landmarks that date back hundreds of years.

Life in the city spins around the occupied and clamouring Plaza Mayor, nearby bistros, bars and cafés. The far-reaching and rich square looks especially supernatural around evening time when its structures are reverted.

  1. Granada
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Granada offers an ideal mix of attractions, conventional societies and an enlivened nightlife. However, most of it is the home of the Alhambra, an apex of Moorish craftsmanship that epitomizes Andalusian history and is one of the incredible compositional sights of Europe.

Validating the city’s exciting history are its most prominent milestones, the sixteenth-century Granada Cathedral with its heavenly domed roof, and the well-known Alhambra, a Moorish castle with nurseries and Arab showers. Granada’s comparing areas, Sacromonte and Albaicin, are the substance of the city’s way of life.

  1. Barcelona:
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Barcelona is one of the nation’s top travel objections since it offers all that sightseers search for in a European city. It is designed for energetic shopping, dynamic culture and humming nightlife.

Ciutat Vella, the Old City, is Barcelona’s primary fascination. Here, sightseers will track down the Gothic Quarter with its excellent, old places of worship, Roman demolishes and cobblestone roads fixed with open-air bistros and cafés.

The well-known exercises in Barcelona incorporate walking around La Rambla, a tree-lined person on foot road, and sunbathing on Barceloneta, one of the city’s most mainstream seashores.

One of a kind to Barcelona is the engineering wonders of Spain’s popular draftsman, Antoni Gaudi, which incorporate the Sagrada Familia and the Casa Batllo. Both of these phenomenal constructions highlight mixes of plans, shapes and shadings.

  1. Mallorca:
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Mallorca is encircled by the shimmering waters of the Mediterranean, with barbed precipices, isolated inlets, and excellent seashores covering its shores. Long a mainstream traveller objective, the island is honoured with a warm and inviting environment and mind-boggling views.

While its hilly inside is home to ridge cloisters and towns, its marvellous coastline is in touch with shoreline towns and resorts. Sunbathing, swimming, and watersports are the most well-known distractions, with delectable nearby food and fish on offer any place you go.

  1. Madrid:
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Madrid is generally known for its nightlife scene. Home to various colleges, the city comprises ethnic gatherings, making it one of Europe’s most vivid cosmopolitan urban areas.

Madrid is a lovely city blended in with old and new engineering. The capital consists of areas having remarkable people and attractions going from notable quarters to more seasoned group networks, college regions, multicultural regions and party scenes.

 Puerta del Sol is a square filled with celebrations, significant social affairs, and road entertainers just as a centre for the public transportation organization. Another notable square is Plaza Mayor, known for its numerous keepsake shops, bistros and the exuberant San Miguel Market.

  1. Seville:

Seville is home to lovely and significant noteworthy tourist spots. It is the best place of the year at any time.

The city is additionally home to the Biggest wooden construction on the planet, a monster umbrella-formed design lodging the fundamental market.

  1. Valencia:
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Valencia has reestablished structures that incorporate staggering temples, old religious communities, for example, San Miguel de Los Reyes and the site of an antiquated silk exchange focus referred to now as the Silk Exchange Market.

In the wake of diverting the Turia River, the city built its most great fascination, a monstrous social and amusement complex known as the City of Arts and Science. Contained inside this complex are a few structures like a historical centre, planetarium, aquarium, expressions exhibition hall and an IMAX theatre that are each creative wonders all by themselves. Likewise remembered for the old Turia riverbed are delightful nurseries, athletic parks and fake lakes.

  1. San Sebastian:
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Image Credits: Unsplash

San Sebastián is the capital of the Gipuzkoa territory, situated in the Basque nation of North Spain off the bank of the Bay of Biscay. This wonderful oceanside city is very much known for its brilliant seashores and exceptional culinary custom.

Even though it is within a few locales, San Sebastian is a comfortable city packed with eateries, pintxo bars, fashion shops and an encased shopping centre.

San Sebastian brags about some of the best seashores in Europe. And it is the most famous of these is Playa de la Concha, which offers sunbathing and water exercises like swimming, kayaking and water skiing. Playa de la Zurriola draws in numerous surfers and gives surfboard and bodyboard rentals.

Cordoba:

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Cordoba is the capital of the area of a similar name in the Andalusian district of southern Spain. While Cordoba is portrayed by its modest community enchant, this fair size city offers every one of the noteworthy and social attractions of a clamouring city.

Perhaps the most established town in Europe, the memorable quarter of Cordoba is a labyrinth of minuscule archaic roads, squares, and whitewashed yards all arranged around the star fascination, the Mezquita. Initially, it was a mosque. The Mezquita is currently a radiant church holding the vast majority of its unique engineering. Its woods of segments finished off with Islamic-style, and white striped curves fill in as a token of the wonder and significance Córdoba held in bygone eras. Outside the Mezquita is a lovely orange woods ideal for unwinding.

  1. Segovia:
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Segovia is famous for its authentic walls. While this design wonder goes about as the city’s image, other shocking sights, like the perfect Gothic basilica and various holy places, communities and cloisters, can be found nearby.

The other primary fascination is the rich Alcazar of Segovia, set on a rough outcrop sitting above the city. It is said to have enlivened Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty, and the palace and castle include heaps of design. It was once one of the most loved and illustrious homes of the Kings of Castile.

That is all we have arrived at the finish of an article. I trust you will become more acquainted with the 10 best places of interest in Spain and plan a trip to Spain. you can even schedule your desire to design your vacation. Get ready to explore Spain.

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10 Best Places of interest in Thailand

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Thailand is the best destination to relax. Yes, it has stunning cities, Beaches, and you will get a fantastic sightseeing experience. Try the trip adventure at least once in your lifetime. Following is the list of the 10 Best Places of interest in Thailand.

List of 10 Best Places of Interest in Thailand

  • Railay Beach
  • Koh Phi Phi
  • The grand palace
  • Pai
  • Khao Yai
  • Sukhothai
  • Historic City of Ayutthaya
  • Koh Samui
  • Doi Suthep
  • Floating Markets
  1. Railay Beach
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Railay Beach is a tiny peninsula with four beaches on it. Railay is already on the bucket list of every wise visitor, and it is one of Thailand’s most sought-after beach destinations. Railay is a fascinating world located just south of Ao Nang Beach, around a rocky promontory and only accessible by boat. Beautiful white gorgeous sunsets, soaring limestone cliffs, views, caverns, and a lagoon buried inside the cliff, all formed and nourished by the shifting tides, may all be found on the peninsula. Everything is within walking distance!

  1. Koh Phi Phi
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The beaches and other neighbouring islands are fabulous now that Phi Phi Island is open. International tourism is only feasible if tourists consent to a two-week quarantine at approved hotels. The island appears to be deserted, with the majority of stores, restaurants, and hotels shuttered. Every day, just a few tourists arrive, mostly locals and expats. You can still dine well, go shopping, and ride a longtail boat to surrounding islands and beaches. In conclusion, the island remains lovely, and nature is slowly returning, although it is disappointing to store closed and gloomy streets after 9 p.m.

  1. The Grand Palace
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Bangkok is the most popular tourist attraction, and it is remarkable in terms of historical significance and beauty. The grounds include a tangle of royal palaces, temples, and historical relics, the most notable is Wat Phra Kaeo (Temple of the Emerald Buddha). And it is claimed to have a piece of the enlightened Buddha hair or bone

  1. Pai
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Pai is an ideal starting place for seeing the country’s natural wonders and the famous Thai friendliness and cuisine. This little town has earned a reputation as a hippy and backpacker hotspot, yet you will also see lots of families visiting. There is a small nighttime strolling street market with a range of native and Western delicacies. It is easy to access surrounding Buddhist monasteries, waterfalls, and the spectacular Pai canyon.

  1. Khao Yai
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Elephants are famous in Thailand, and sculptures and paintings are in royal palaces and temples alike. Nothing surpasses seeing elephants in their natural habitat for the ultimate experience, and Khao Yai National Park gives a fantastic opportunity to do so. Elephants wandering along rivers, rare birds of prey, monkeys, and other tropical species make the park home. This park is considered home to many waterfalls.

6.      Sukhothai

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Sukhothai, a favourite destination for history aficionados and photographers, offers many beautiful photo opportunities on a lesser scale than Ayutthaya. Following decades of conflict and exposure to the weather, the ruins of this ancient city still stand high. The Old City of Sukhothai is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and great effort has gone into restoring and preserving one of Thailand’s most important historical monuments.

7.      Historic City of Ayutthaya

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Visitors may tour the gloomy yet enchanting remains of Ayutthaya, which provide a stunning glimpse into ancient Thailand’s splendour. The palaces and temples at Ayutthaya testify that it was once Thailand’s most significant metropolis. Some sites, such as the temple housing the 12-meter-long reclining Buddha and tree roots around a Buddha’s head, are extremely beautiful and should not be missed.

8.      Koh Samui

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Koh Samui Island is the country’s second-largest island and home to some of Southeast Asia’s most stunning golden shorelines. Each beach on Koh Samui has its personality: some are excellent for quiet solitude, while others are bustling with activities, water sports, and large crowds. Chaweng Beach is the island’s Largest and busiest beach, with the Greatest shopping, a variety of activities, and some of the top restaurants. The brilliant blue seas and dancing palm palms in the ocean wind might explain why some of the island’s top resorts are here.

9.      Doi Suthep

Doi Suthep is a wonder of exquisite religious sculptures, and a visit here means seeing monks praying, seeing worship rites, and getting a view of Chiang Mai’s ever-expanding sprawl. Keep with a bottle of water and your walking shoes since you will need to ascend a long stairway to reach the temple at the top of the hill. Vendors sell everything from delectable local snacks to handcrafted items created by locals from the surrounding mountains at the bottom of the stairs. There is also a shop offering masks, elephant sculptures, and home furnishings, so you can do some shopping while you recuperate from your stair climb.

10.  Floating Markets

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Thailand’s floating markets provide a unique opportunity to buy and eat while supporting small sellers and learning more about traditional culture. While some of the markets appear to appeal more to tourists, others provide a more real travel experience, such as hopping on a boat and letting your guide take you through canals, where you will see traditional residences on stilts and come across vendors selling their products from their boats. You will need to wake up early to attend a floating market, as sellers set out their wares, fresh fruits, vegetables, spices, and delectable meals first thing in the morning in their long wooden boats.

Thailand will give you an unforgettable experience. Try to spend at least a couple of days in Thailand to feel a natural beauty. Plan your trip to Thailand in Pickyourtrail and check the Thailand Packages, and book your trip soon. Just explore the natural beauty of Thailand.