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 […]
I’ve always had a thing for castles. As a kid, they were the backdrop to every adventure I imagined—knights, dragons, secret rooms, and tapestries that hid escape tunnels. As an adult, that obsession never really went away. I just swapped out plastic swords for train tickets. Over the years, I’ve wandered through foggy fortresses in […]
For centuries, the ideas and, even more so, the ideals symbolized by castles and embodied in them have been a catalyst for captivating imaginations. The very concept of a castle, for many—including me, I must confess—is inextricably linked with power (especially political and military), romance, mystery, and history. Most of us can point to at […]
Standing proudly over the Danube, Buda Castle is one of those places that completely pulls you in. If you’ve ever wandered through a European capital wondering what stories its buildings could tell, this is the place where you actually get some answers. Part medieval fortress, part royal palace, and part cultural hub, it has weathered […]
When I first got to Schönbrunn Palace, I’ll be honest—I was mostly just trying to avoid the midday crowds. I had seen photos, read about the Habsburgs, but didn’t really know what to expect. It’s one of those places that’s so famous, you almost assume it can’t surprise you. Then I walked into the courtyard. […]
I still remember the first time I caught a glimpse of the Palace of Versailles. The soft splash of fountains echoed in the distance, and the air smelled faintly of roses and gravel warmed by the sun. It was early morning, and the sun hit those golden gates just right—it felt like I had stepped […]
You know that feeling when you stand in front of something so massive, so ancient, and so meticulously crafted that you’re not sure whether to be amazed or just speechless? That’s exactly how I felt the first time I laid eyes on Malbork Castle. Towering over the sleepy Nogat River in northern Poland, this red-brick behemoth […]
Some castles whisper history. This one roars it. Standing atop San Lázaro Hill under the searing Caribbean sun, I found myself staring up at the colossal walls of Castillo San Felipe de Barajas, the greatest military fortress ever built by the Spanish in the Americas. It’s not just a pile of stones—it’s a monument to […]
There’s something electric about standing where centuries of footsteps have echoed before you. When I finally walked through the heavy stone gates of Fort Jesus, it felt like history reached out and grabbed my hand. The scent of salt and old stone hung in the air, and the sound of distant waves crashing against the […]
When I first arrived in Gondar, Ethiopia, I didn’t expect to be so moved by stone and silence. The early morning mist clung to the hills, and through it, Fasil Ghebbi emerged like a mirage from another time. A local boy selling coffee on the street pointed and said, “King Fasil built that to touch […]
