>I disagree. It is probably more an issue of personal taste. Not all things in America are garish and tacky so how can it be a case of the 'pot calling the kettle black?' Two of my favorite castles in Germany are Schloss Linderhof and Schloss Neuschwanstein. Both are completely different. While Neuschwanstein is sparse and beautiful, Linderhof is indeed garish and tacky and an example of decadence. Yet both are beautiful in their own way.