If you’ve ever wondered whether castles in Spain live up to the stories—well, let me tell you, they don’t just live up to them. They knock them sideways. My first real Spanish castle wasn’t planned. I was somewhere in Castilla y León, running late and nearly out of gas, when I crested a hill at […]
I didn’t set out to become a castle person. My first trips to Italy were about food, art, and ticking off the big sights—Rome, Florence, the usual stops. But then I visited a castle by accident. One moment I was following a faded sign on a quiet road in Puglia, the next I was standing […]
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s really like to visit a castle in France, I can tell you this: it’s nothing like the movies, and yet somehow, it’s better. My first castle wasn’t part of a big plan. I was driving through the Loire Valley—following GPS directions that kept trying to reroute me—when I rounded […]
I remember the first time I saw a German castle up close. My family and I had just driven through a sleepy Bavarian village when Neuschwanstein’s white towers suddenly appeared above the trees. For a second, I thought I was looking at a movie set. But this was real—just standing there, looking as dramatic as […]
I’ll be honest: no matter how many castles I visit, there’s always a moment that gets me. Sometimes it’s the quiet creak of a wooden door at Windsor, or the sting of salty air at Dover as the fog creeps in. One morning, I found myself staring up at Bodiam Castle, ducks gliding across its […]
I’ll never forget the night I found myself lost in a ruined castle somewhere outside Prague. My phone was dying, rain was seeping through my jacket, and every step echoed twice as loud as it should’ve in the empty courtyard. No tour groups, no friendly docents—just me, the wind, and an uneasy feeling I couldn’t […]
The first time I spotted Neuschwanstein Castle, I wasn’t standing at a famous lookout or scrolling Instagram. I was behind the wheel, somewhere near Füssen, windows cracked, music low, when it appeared above the trees like a mirage. I actually muttered, “Whoa,” out loud and pulled over without thinking. That first glimpse? I’ll never forget […]
The first time I saw the Loire Valley, I was chasing fog. It was early—too early for most tourists—but I couldn’t sleep. I’d rolled out of bed in a little village near Blois, wrapped a scarf around my neck, and set off toward the river with coffee still warming my hands. The sky was that […]
I still remember the way my footsteps slowed as I approached Matsumoto Castle for the first time. It was early April, the sky clear, the air thick with the faint scent of cherry blossoms, and there it was—this brooding, beautiful fortress reflected in the still waters of its moat. Black, bold, and silent. Locals call […]
Have you ever stood in a place and felt the past tug at your sleeve? That was me, atop the ramparts of Stirling Castle, wind snapping at my coat as I imagined Robert the Bruce rallying his troops below. There’s something deeply visceral about Scottish castles. They don’t just sit silently on the landscape—they command […]
