The romantic beauty of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley has inspired many writers, artists and composers. Dramatic cliffs overlook the meandering river below; idyllic small towns with cobbled streets, half-timbered houses, and Gothic churches appear around each river bend; hill top castles surrounded by terraced vineyards invite you for a glimpse into history and medieval architecture. The whole area was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 2002 for the unique combination of geological, historical, cultural and industrial reasons.
This year's Japanese inspired "Flower Carpet" adorned the Grand Place in Brussels from August 12 to 15. The event takes place every two years in the historical heart of Brussels, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site with beautiful examples of Gothic, Baroque, and Neo-classical architecture.
Peillon is one of several "perched villages", just a few kilometers north of Nice and Monaco but at almost 400 meters altitude. It is a quaint pedestrian only village with narrow cobbled streets winding up and down through low vaulted passageways, offering a dramatic contrast to the busy Riviera coast to the south. A visit to this magnificent fortified village is a true trip back in time, with its unchanged stone houses being a beautiful example of medieval french architecture and Old World charm.
The historic village of Monsanto in Eastern Portugal is another example of thoughtful architecture that adapts to its natural surroundings rather than attempting to transform them. The village developed around enormous granite boulders, utilized for walls, floors, and even roofs.The homes, sandwiched between mossy boulders, and the narrow cobbled streets have hardly changed in hundreds of years, making Monsanto a living museum that has retained its medieval village charm.
Icelandic turf houses were the product of a harsh environment. They offered superior insulation compared to stone and wood houses, and Iceland did have large amounts of turf that was suitable for construction, while other building material were difficult to obtain. The end result is an example of vernacular architecture based on local needs and construction materials, that blends beautifully into its natural environment.
The serene Shirakawa-go and Gokayama regions, nestled in a remote mountain area of Japan, are famous for their traditional gassho-zukuri farmhouses, some of which are more than 200 years old. Gassho-zukuri means "constructed like hands in prayer", as the farmhouses' steep thatched roofs resemble the hands of praying Buddhist monks. The roofs, made without nails, were designed to withstand the large amounts of heavy snow that falls in the region during winter, and provided a large attic space for cultivating silkworms.
The "rorbu" cabins create a distinctive, unique architectural environment in the small fishing villages nestled along the shores of the Lofoten Islands in Norway, an archipelago within the Arctic Circle well known for its natural beauty. These cabins originally provided simple overnight shelter for fishermen, and were painted with cheap red paint made from cod-liver oil. Today the "rorbuer" have been restored and turned into modern accommodation for tourists.
A trip to Bibury, England is like travel back in time. It is a typical Cotswold village with limestone cottages with steeply pitched roofs, beautiful nature, and a romantic, almost fairytale aura. The famous Arlington Row is a popular tourist attraction, and one of the most photographed Cotswold scenes.