Friday Fun: Chateaux in the Snow

I gather there is a film currently on one of the streaming services featuring a popular novelist who can afford to buy a Scottish castle just in time for Christmas, so I couldn’t resist combining two of my favourite topics: castles/palaces/manor houses and snow. Of course, not all of these are ‘chateaux’ strictly speaking, but ‘palaces in the chalices’ or ‘castles for the passels’ just don’t quite have the same rhyming resonance, do they?

This is of course the castle everyone thinks of when they imagine winter, mountains, snow and overly-romantic situations. Neuschwanstein in Bavaria, from Travel Triangle.

But I raise you the Winter Palace in St Petersburg with a colour that really pops out amidst the white, photo credit Minigaleeva Elena.

The Russian Czars really did know how to get palaces built that would fit in well in a snowy landscape. Alexander Palace and Park, from Nicholas II site.

More modest, in a land more given to rain than snow, Drimnagh Castle in Ireland still looks beautiful. From the castle’s restoration page on Facebook.

Ah, now we’re coming to the chateaux, in this case Chenonceau in the Loire Valley, from My French Country Home Magazine.

Chateau Amboise is equally breathtaking in winter, with its terrace overlooking the Loire. From the castle website – don’t forget to visit the tomb of Leonardo Da Vinci while you are there.

Peleș Castle in Sinaia, Romania, may look medieval, but it was built in the late 19th century and had all the mod cons, as well as a beautiful location in the Carpathian Mountains. From Peles.ro

More of a fortress than a chateau, Rasnov Castle in Romania is a popular post-Christmas dinner walk away for the locals (or maybe that was just my family?) From brasovstiri.ro

Atmospheric Settings: Castles

Following on from my previous post, speaking of great settings…

Some of the crucial scenes of my crime novel in progress (3rd draft, thank you for asking) are set in a mountain chalet [of the public rather than the posh type]. However, seeing these pictures of French castles, I couldn’t help wondering if I could set my next novel in one of those places!

Chateau near Clermont-Ferrand.

Some have Versailles-type fountains…

…And some have pools.

The more towers, the merrier…

Chateau with gite (B&B).

For medievalists.

And for those who prefer Neo-Classical style…

Incidentally, all of these castles are for sale, if you have a spare few million euros to invest in buying and renovating. More pictures and estate-agenty type details are available from websites such as http://www.bellesdemeures.com, http://www.avendrealouer.fr  and http://www.maisons-et-chateaux.com.