Have you ever toured a castle? In April,
my husband, three sons and I visited the Czech Republic. My husband is a native
Czech, and his parents, sister and extended family still live there. This was a
long overdue chance to spend time with them and for our boys to get
reacquainted with their heritage. While there, we had the opportunity to travel
into the southern part of the country—a land of lush rolling hills and quaint
villages—and visit the Lednice Castle. The area passed into the hands of House
of Liechtenstein, from Austria, in the mid-thirteenth century. This current
structure is built in the English Neo-Gothic style and is so large, there are
four separate tours to cover everything. As a historical author, I found myself
trying to imagine what life was like when families actually lived there.
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Karen, I love to tour castles. We've made a European trip the last three years and have toured many castles. Each one is unique.
ReplyDeleteDoes it make you want to write about royalty? What was your favorite?
DeleteYour photos are gorgeous! I would love to visit a castle. Thank you for taking me there virtually.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Christine. It was tough to decide which ones to share, there were so many. I'm glad you enjoyed them.
DeleteVery cool. I absolutely still love reading about princes and princesses. :)
ReplyDeleteHeather, I've read many Harlequin Romance books featuring royalty. I've always thought I'd like to write one someday. It would be nice if Love Inspired was allowed to do it. :)
DeleteThanks for the photos. I especially love the bed that has it's own nook. How cool that you could share your husband's heritage in such a way.
ReplyDeletePamela, I'm glad we're able to occasionally make the trip. I'd like to go more often. This was our first time in 7 years, but at least my younger two are old enough to remember it.
DeleteI'm not a reader of prince and princess stores, but Prague is on my bucket list of places to visit. My grandparents departed from there when they immigrated to the US.
ReplyDeleteHow neat! Our visit to Prague was very brief, but I enjoyed it. My teenager said that was his favorite experience in Czech. We visited Charles Bridge and other famous sites.
DeleteWe lived in Germany for three years. Our "hometown" of Aschaffenburg had a castle...in fact that was our first outing after arrival.
ReplyDeleteDuring our time in Europe, We saw so many beautiful castles. Dover Castle was perhaps the most memorable because of its age, and the tour guide provided lots of interesting details about life in those times.
A few years ago when my son was stationed in Germany, we visited him and drove to Prague for a lovely week of sightseeing.
When we lived in Germany, my husband and I were invited to dine with a prince and princess in their castle, which was about an hour from where we lived. Four other American couples joined us. The dress for the evening was formal, and it was all quite elegant. A fun memory, for sure!
Oh wow, Debby! I'd love to see pictures of your dinner with royalty! We actually flew military into Ramstein Air Base and drove through Germany to Czech. But we haven't taken the time to tour any German castles. Were you stationed near there? One time we flew into Spangdahlem.
DeleteYou probably drove by Aschaffenburg on the autobahn. It's the pink castle that sits on the river...if you remember seeing anything like that. :)
DeleteOur hotel locked the cars in a gated area under the building because they are often stolen on the street. Did your hotel do that as well?
We stayed on the Ramstein military base. I don't recall seeing that castle.
DeleteSo beautiful! I'll be visiting the Czech Republic in August and staying in a castle. I love the pictures you shared. I love stories with prince and princess.
ReplyDeleteHow fun, Terri! So excited for you.
DeleteWonderful! What castle is it? I can imagine that would be quite a treat.
DeleteKaren...what a lovely trip. The pictures are beautiful. I love castles. It's been a long time since I've visited one. And yes, I do love stories about princesses and princes. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteThanks Belle!
DeleteKaren, what beautiful photos. Your trip sounds wonderful. I'd love to do that some day. Go to England or Ireland and find out about our ancestors. I'm so glad you were able to make this trip.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lenora!
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