Windsor Castle, England. The Queen's residence in Windsor looks like a fairytale come to life, especially in the spring, below a fine blue sky -- but despite storybook appearances, the palace couldn't be more real.

In fact it's the largest occupied castle in the world, and has a history that extends back more than 900 years, beginning with William the Conqueror.

The castle has been through many changes, trials and tribulations since then, the most recent being a fire in 1992 that damaged over 100 rooms. The restoration of these rooms, at a cost of £37 million, was completed in 1997.

For comprehensive information about visiting the castle, the best place to go is Windsor Castle's Official Web Site.