When I saw the Thai Royal Temple complex from afar I could scarcely believe my eyes at how pretty they were.

In Europe, gold leaf and so on is often associated with a sort of gaudiness.  Somehow the Thai's, using the same sort of materials, have made things which are quite transcendently beautiful.

I'm not sure how much they have to do with the Buddha, I'm I saw a bit of strange "Buddha shouldn't be a tattoo" sort of things there, but their temples are quite lovely.