Biggest and most architectural 10/10 from me the first time I get it in VB - promise !!!

these grand old structures do demand your attention. really like this one.

They are lovely old buildings. The detail/exposure could have been much better. The large area of white sky caused the under-exposure. When shooting in deep shaded areas, point your camera at the dark buildings and lock in the focus and exposure by pressing the shutter release halfway down.
Then without loosening your trigger finger, swing the camera and recompose your picture and continue pressing the shutter release the rest of the way.
You can still fix this with some sharpening, Contrast(which will make it appear even darker) and then use positive Gamma to bring it up to a normal brightness.

The real cause of the lighting problem is the sun peering into your camera. For better shots it should be behind you or to the side. As well, the lighting is ideal (I seem to recall) in the latter part of the afternoon (for best colours). If this was an afternoon shot, then I would suggest a morning take... or vice-versa. Noon is supposed to be the worst time to get a quality image in the sunlight... but when it is a once-in-a-lifetime occasion... try snapshooter87's advice. :o)