Castles In My Heart

A couple of weeks ago I received yet another great book about castles. I’ll admit it. I’m downright addicted to castles. From the time I was a little kid, these structures obsessed me. When I was a teenager and decided to write dark, foreboding gothic romances in the privacy of my bedroom, a castle or huge mansion usually featured in the story somewhere. For whatever reason, those structures seemed forever in my heart, intriguing me, taking me to magical fairylands. For whatever reason, the romance, the angst, the passion of what happened in these castles over the centuries called to my muse, to what makes me a writer. I knew someday I’d visit castles.

Along with this castle fixation came a love for the countries of my ancestors, Ireland, Scotland, England, and Wales. When I visited Ireland on a nine day vacation many moons ago, I lived a dream. To see castles, to touch them, to feel their atmosphere. They didn’t disappoint me, with their beautiful, tragic, interesting and terrifying elements. Heaven on earth described those moments when I trailed down dark hallways and through misty pathways to reach the mystifying fortresses that filled my thoughts. Maybe the durable, endless tales I felt within the walls called to me. Whispers drifted over time and asked me to explore and find the truth lying around every corner.

Imagine my delight many years later when I learned my husband and I would be transferred to England. Talk about a dream come true. Over three years time I visited many castles and accumulated literature on all of them. Many of these places you’ve heard of before: Glamis Castle, Stirling Castle, Edinburgh Castle, Eilean Donan Castle…ah yes. So many castles, so little time. After living in England, my desire to finish stories about Britain and Ireland in general flourished in my mind. Caught in a misty wonderland that inspired me at every turn, I loved England like a second home. To this day we sometimes get homesick for the uniqueness, the beauty, the part of our souls that belong to these beautiful places. In a couple of years we plan to go back to visit, and believe me…there will be castle tours on the agenda. These castles in my heart.