castles

i am always amazed at the castles in spain. Today we went to see the castle called Melina del campo. It is so old but looks brand new. It is in such remarkable shape. To my knowledge like one near madrid called Manazares it never saw a battle, it was not used for defense but rather it was used for "show". The rich or the royal or both wanted to show off their fortress. They decided that building a castle would be the best way to show off their strength,their wealth, their position, thier :height over the common people. It was a design from the past when the defended themselves from the Moors. It was something created for rembrance. They now have many nice meetings in these buldings. They host important conferences. They have solemn ceremonies there. I wonder what are the similiarites between the castles and the cathedrals of spain. They both are large, beautiful, strong, and now often visited by tourist but at some point they were functional. They were used and attended. What are the monuments that we build in our lives that show off who we are, shore up or weaknesses or fears? What do we want to be remembered by?