History

I have always been interested in the past. Even as a child I loved history and “old” things. I remember one time when one of my great aunts passed away and left some traditional antique furniture in her will. I was fascinated by it; the color, the shape, the fact that it belonged to someone who had been alive a lot longer than me.

In college I thrived considering my major was tourism in a country that dates back to 1128. Most of what we learned was history or history-related. We got to visit monuments, museums, churches on a regular base and I loved every minute of it. In fact, when I moved to the US that was one of the hardest things to get used to; not having centuries-old monuments around.

Then, there was Scotland! I consider myself at least 25% Scottish (not sure my Scottish friends would agree with me on this one). I could not have chosen a more perfect place for someone like me to live. I was in heaven among medieval castles, houses dating back centuries, land that in itself seem to emanate a feeling of another time. To make it even more perfect, I joined a medieval re-enacting group and enjoy many outings. There is nothing more magical than walking around a ruined castle in medieval clothing. The next best thing to a time machine. One of my first events with the group was truly magical. A friend of the group lived in a castle. Even though the family had renovated the living quarters, they had left most of the castle with its original feel. He offered his not-so-humble abode to throw a twelfth night party in true medieval style. The big hall (which in Scottish castles is not really that big) had a gigantic hearth with a fire blazing, the stone walls were decorated with evergreens and a long trestle table was set against one of the walls with lots of medieval treats. We ate, talked and danced and for a few hours I was someone else somewhere else in time. I even had a knight that fought in my honor in tournaments. How many people can claim that?

I miss those days. It was a time when I could give my creativity and imagination free rein and the living was easy and fun (even though slightly nerdy). I made good friends, I learned a lot, and most of all I gathered lots of material for my writing. In other words I lived fully and whole heartily.