Google Earth top 10: French palaces

France is so exceptionally rich in heritage that it deserves a special entry all to itself. Several, in fact! France's cathedrals, abbeys, castles and palaces all are worth visiting. To anyone from overseas who comes to France i would want to suggest most urgently to not just stay in (wonderful) Paris, but also to experience the countryside and its sights. Here are my 10 favourite palaces and palatial castles!

10: Chantilly

9: Champ-de-Bataille

8: Oiron

7: Hautefort

6: Fontainebleau

5: Cheverny

4: Versailles

3: Valencay

2: Chambord

1: Vaux-le Vicomte

Top 10: Abbeys

I have already posted a Google Earth post about abbeys, probably my favourite heritage buildings. To follow up, here is a top 10 of abbeys I have visited, with some of my own photographs. I have decided to allow just one abbey per country but of course there are many, many more that I have visited. I hope to share those later!
Many of the most beautiful abbeys are in fact ruins: most of the French abbeys and all of the UK ones have been destroyed in revolutions or religious wars. That does not mean these ruins are not incredibly evocative and beautiful! On the contrary, in fact...

10: Senanque, France

9: Melk, Austria

8: Rievaulx, UK

7: Villers-la-Ville, Belgium

6: Escorial, Spain

5: Certosa di Pavia, Italy

4: Fontenay, France

3: Zdar nad Sazavou, Czech Rep.

2: Maria Laach, Germany

1: Mont Saint-Michel, France

Google Earth top 10: World archaelogy

Some archeological sites look absolutely amazing as seen from the sky. Many of these places are in remote areas that I do not think I will ever visit. But through Google Earth I can experience these places, and be amazed by the scale of some of the ancient sites. When you visit a site in person you are barely aware of the fact that you only get to see a tiny portion of the entire site. Google Earth reveals the true extent of some of the ancient cities. Here are ten of my favourites.

10. Sanchi, India

9. Chaco Canyon, USA

8. Teotihuacan, Mexico

7. Takht-e-Soleyman, Iran

6. Chan Chan, Peru

5. Palmyra, Syria

4. Pompeii, Italy *

3. Borobudur, Indonesia *

2.Tikal, Guatemala

1. Angkor, Cambodia

Top 10: Dutch castles

The Netherlands may not be as rich in castles as France or Britain, but we do have a fair amount of castles. A testimonial of a violent past, when neighbouring counties and cities were at eachother's throats all the time. Castles in Holland tend to be built out of brick and surrounded by moats. Many have been altered through the ages. When the need for defense diappeared after the 17th century many castles were refurbished: large windows were put in, courtyards were demolished, battlements disappeared. Here are my ten favourite castles in the Netherlands, some more well-known than others.

10. Heeswijk

9. Hackfort

8. Duivenvoorde

7. Ammersoyen

6. Radboud

5. Twickel

4. Huis Bergh

3. Doorwerth

2. Muiderslot

1. Doornenburg

Google Earth top 10: Abbeys

Abbeys are among my favourite heritage buildings. Not only do they contain beautiful art and architecture, but usually anneys are placed in very beautiful places as well. Far away from the world, in secluded locations. The combined effect of the serene buildings and their unspoilt natural surroundings is overwhelming, even for an atheist like myself.

10. Melk, Austria *

9. Fontevraud, France *

8. Rievaulx, England *

7. Tintern, Wales *

6. Fontenay, France *

5.Certosa di Pavia, Italy *

4. Villers, Belgium *

3. Maulbronn, Germany *

2. Fountains Abbey, England *

1. le Mont Saint-Michel, France *