Castel and Ponte Sant'Angelo, ROME ITALY

Castel Sant'Angelo.  This towering cylindrical building was initially commissioned by the Emperor Hadrian as his mausoleum. It was later used by the popes as a fortress and is now a museum. Legend holds that the Archangel Michael appeared atop the mausoleum, sheathing his sword to signify the end of the plague of 590.

Ponte Sant'Angelo.  Near the Vatican, and crossing the Tiber, 10 angels holding instruments of the Passion dominate its path.

Whimsical and Deadly Blarney Castle Grounds and Gardens IRELAND

Blarney Castle Grounds. The castle (the keep is all that remains) sits on 60 acres encompassing a variety of diverse (even dangerous!) gardens, mystical rock formations, and serene natural areas.

The Poison Garden. This collection of deadly plants has representatives from all over the world including Wolfsbane, Mandrake, Ricin, Opium, and Cannabis. Some are so toxic, they must be caged.

The Bog Garden features two waterfalls, a raised wooden boardwalk that passes through large groups of Giant Rhubarb, a willow tunnel, and many varieties of bog plants.

The Dolmen, a precariously-perched megalithic stone tomb portal.

The Witch of Blarney’s profile imposed naturally on this piece of stone.

The Fern Garden’s grassy pathways take you through 80 varieties of ferns.

The Wishing Steps. If you can walk down and back up these steps with your eyes closed and without stopping, your wish will come true within a year.

Blarney Castle, IRELAND

Blarney Castle. The castle (the keep is all that remains) sits on 60 acres encompassing a variety of diverse (even dangerous!) gardens, mystical rock formations, and serene natural areas.

Visitors wind their way up the keep’s several stories to reach the Blarney Stone. The narrow, uneven passageway was slow-going and crowded, claustrophobic with only an occasional small portal window (giving a dizzying sense of height). Many people didn’t make it to the top, and had to squeeze their way back down the same way they came.

Once upon a time, visitors were held by the ankles and lowered head first over the battlements. Today, safety holds sway. The stone itself is set in the wall below the battlements, so planting a kiss on the stone means stretching far back and way down.