Alcázar of Segovia, Spain

The Alcázar at dusk, its slate spires and crenellated tower rising from a rocky crag above the meeting of the Eresma and Clamores rivers, at the western tip of Segovia's old city. Seen from the valley, the narrow fortress looks like the prow of a ship sailing out over the plain. This was a real royal castle of Castile, and Isabella I took refuge here when her claim to the throne began in December 1474. The pointed spires, a northern European touch on a Spanish fortress, are what make it look like an illustration. A fire in 1862 badly damaged the roofs and interiors, and the restoration that followed returned the skyline you see now. Climb the main tower for the view back over the old city and the river valley.