Every year around this time, I start planning holiday getaways (or plan to plan them, anyway). But having cut my literary teeth on fantasies, it’s fairytale settings I dream of escaping to, or even making my new home. Say, a cozy English cottage or a charming little 300-room French chateau. One of those places, Old Lachlan Castle in Scotland (below), is my family’s ancestral home. And it’s actually for sale! But it’s too muckle money for this laddie’s budget. So it’s back to writing I go. After all, that’s the best getaway there is!
Click on any picture to enlarge it, or to begin slide show.
Neuschwanstein Castle, Munich, Germany
Alsace, France
Bran Castle, Romania
All-wooden home, Russia
Alcazar Castle, Segovia, Spain
Banyan tree temple (photo by Laura McPhee)
Bibury, England
Apennine Colossus, Florence, Italy
Bled, Slovenia
Bojnice Castle, Slovakia
Bradford-on-Avon, England
Chateau de Chillon, Switzerland
Český Krumlov, Czech Republic
Santa Maddalena, Italy
Cologne, Germany (photo by Kilian Schönberger)
Cinque Terre, Italy
Colmar, Alsace, France
Hidden castle
Corvin Castle, Romania
Cotswolds, England
Eltz Castle Germany
Dartmoor Forest, England
Dubrovnik, Croatia
Gasadalur, Faroe Islands
Italian village
Himeji Castle, Japan
Gosau, Austria
Hohenzollern Castle, Germany
Mont Saint-Michel, Normandy, France
Lichtenstein Castle, Black Forest, Germany
MacLachlan Castle, Scotland
Pelourinho, Brazil
Old Mill, Black Forest, Germany
Reine, Norway
Predjama Castle, Slovenia
Pena National Palace, Sintra, Portugal
Xingyi Castle, Guizhou, China
Rothenburg, Germany
Treehouse, Chaumont-sur-Loire, France
Unknown house, Italy
Zug, Switzerland (photo by John Woodworth)
Provence, France
Russian-Armenian house (photo by David Rich)
Village De Penne, France
Tbilisi, Georgia
Zermatt, Switzerland
Village
Unidentified castle, Italy
“The way to read a fairy tale is to throw yourself in.”
~W.H. Auden
“Every dreamer knows that it is entirely possible to be homesick for a place you’ve never been to, perhaps more homesick than for familiar ground.”
~Judith Thurman
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.” ~Marcel Proust
What a treat to catch a glimpse, Mitch!
Mitch in your Castle travels consider in the north of England near historic Durham,
Lumley Castle, now a hotel. Also near Hadrian’s Wall and the city of York, founded by the Vikings. Brad
Sounds awesome, Brad.
Thanks for feeding my castle obsession! 😄
These castles are beautiful, but look a little drafty. 🙂
I’ll sell you one cheap. Got just too many of these damned castles… need to get tid of some.
;>)
I toured Neuschwanstein, back in early 60s. It was winter, and we traveled up to the castle on a horse-drawn sleigh. It was impressive, inside and out, but no central heat..my feet were frozen afterward.
I think you should buy the ancestral castle even if you have to sell all you have and borrow the rest. Then, you could do readings for tourists in the library, smoking a pipe, and putting on your best accent. You could even do blogposts or livestream for the poor among us. Come on old man, grow a beard, hit the banks, and become Lord of the Manor!
Ach, you’ve got me thinkin’ aboat it, Rabbie!
We’re going to Cesky Krumlov in June. We were there in 1993, when we lived in Prague, so this will be a real nostalgia blast. And we spent a morning in Colmar two years ago, which definitely wasn’t enough time. There are a lot of my bucket list places among your pictures.
Happy to stir some enjoyable memories, Lynn.
All are so pretty. Thanks for sharing.
My pleasure, Venus.
Lovely castles.
Ugh…my cabin in the woods didn’t make the cut…must have been the bear or the mosquitoes
No doubt. ;>)
What a gorgeous collection! And I am surprised to discover that I have visited five of them in person! (Well, six if you count “a village in Italy.” I’ve been to several “villages in Italy.”) My wife and I are planning a trip to Scotland in September, so maybe we will swing by your castle while we are there!
I’m impressed! Wish I knew who you were, my friend.
Those certainly look like enchanting places I would like to visit too
Forwarding your Proust to my readers with grateful mention 🙏
<3
So beautiful, and I have always loved castles! Enchanting.
Wonderful pictures!
We can always dream Mitch 😊 I’ll drive up to Scotland right now and lay claim to that castle for you as its rightful heir.
Hmm, you’ve got me thinking, Nicola.
🤣🤔🏰🤴
Utterly fantastic Mitch! <3
So glad you enjoyed it, Samantha!
Huh. Just last night I told my wife I’d like to tour a castle. Now I’ve seen them all.
;>)
Happy trip planning. We’re actually thinking of visiting Scotland too.
Thank you. We’ll have to compare notes after we’ve both been to Scotland!
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Beautiful pics! Thanks for the “fairy tale” tour.
Growing up in Wales, my fav castle (ruin) is Carreg Cennen. 2 nd is Criccieth in North wales. These are the place that have given my my ideas for my books. I adore fairy tales😌
Me too, Helen. And I’d love to visit some of Wales’ castles.
You’d love them 🙂 Even the ruined ones are breathtaking – I do miss the beauty of them and the history they are steeped in 🙂