Arizona Castle - Scavenger Hunt Photo

Tovrea Castle

Phoenix, Arizona

USA

#14 - A castle

So, I went and got myself involved in Rinda's summer photography scavenger hunt, and I have been obsessing about taking pictures of this local landmark as part of the challenge.

The photo above is the one I'll use for the challenge,

but here are a few more for your viewing pleasure:

Rinda's list for the scavenger hunt included "a castle," and the only one I know of around these parts is Tovrea Castle that sits up on a hill overlooking the city of Phoenix. Oh sure, it doesn't look like your average mid-evil-castle-with-lush-landscapes-and-moss-growing-on-its-sides. And its only saving grace for me was the romantic story behind it. But then I found out that my version of this castle's history {that I'd always heard to be true} was quite different from the real one.

My version: Once upon a time there was an Italian rancher who loved Arizona and longed for his love to join him in the desert. In order to entice her to move from Italy, he promised he'd build her a beautiful castle, high on a hill, and it would be shaped like a wedding cake. { ♥ } So, the fair lady traveled from afar to join him, only to find that what he had built and where he had built it wasn't exactly what she had in mind. So, she returned to Italy and left Senor Tovrea alone in his cake house.

You can read the real story here, though I promise it's not as fun as mine.

;o)

I thought it was cool that I could see Camelback Mountain from where I was standing. It's rare to have a view of the entire mountain from city level. {See how it's shaped like a camel's back? The camel's head is to the left, blocked by shrubbery.}

Photographing this castle was a bit tricky because it's closed to the public and there was no parking lot for me to safely land in. I had to pull off the road and walk a little ways in order to peer over the fence and take a few pictures.

 And, Mom, if you're fretting over this, wait till you see my graffiti shoot.

Happy weekend, everyone!

♥