I love big, old castles – they make me feel like a princess. Luckily, there are a lot of these in Europe too!

Wawel Castle – located near Krakow’s Main Square. Completed in the 13th century and expanded to an even larger castle in the 14th century. Oh, and “W” is pronounced like “V” so this castle’s name isn’t as weird as most English speakers would think. Wiki/Wawel_Castle

There was a torrential downpour right after we took this picture. Luckily, we were at the Beer Garden under a tent with a gutter system

Bedzin Castle – located in Silesian highlands in south Poland. Completed in year 1348. Wiki/Bedzin_Castle

This is exact castle really had me thinking about how people who live in castles past the time away. Oh man, there was nothing going on here – but still very cool to see.

Moszna Castle – located in Upper Silesia and so far my favorite. There was a pond, a lake, a garden – everything I imagined a castle in the country would have. Completed in the 17th century. Wiki/Moszna_Castle

As you can see, we brought Seattle weather with us

*Note: “Daas,” an independent Polish movie we saw at SIFF 2012, was filmed here. I slept through most of it, but luckily G was awake enough to remember this fact once we saw the back of the castle.

Visiting castles that are this old makes me think, “What would I do if I lived in a castle almost 1000 years ago?” 

There’s no cable tv, cell phones or social media to past the time away. And as a woman at that time, I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to read, so there’s not a lot of other entertainment either. 

What would you do to entertain yourself 1000 years ago if you lived in a castle?

Best,
Paula