Today was a day for me; a full day where I was able to relax and feel stress-free! Whatever I was going to do, I wanted to take advantage of the fact that I am surrounded by culture and history, so I decided to be adventurous and explore. Well, not so much explore, but rather do some research on museums or attractions close to the area and go. My parents had plans together and left early in the morning, so I was kind of looking forward to me-time. I found out that my town is famous for old castles that had been passed on from generation to generation, some of which are still available for public viewing. Castles are something that I don’t see everyday in LA, other than the Magic Castle in Hollywood, so I decided to spend the day back in time.

An adventurous day out and only having an overall destination in mind meant excitement! I wore a light blue jean skirt and a grey shirt with small sleeves. I knew I would be doing a lot of walking, mostly around the castle, so I decided to wear flats. I also didn’t want the constant clicking of my heels whenever I took a step on the wooden floors. I pulled my hair up in a ponytail, let the top down on the car, and zoomed whichever direction the navigation system took me. Okay, I’m not ashamed to admit it, I don’t exactly have the best sense of direction. But in my defense, anyone would get lost when driving through the fields in the middle of nowhere!

This may not have been the Magic Castle, but it sure did look magical! It dates back to 1450, and the family that owns the castle still lives there. Can you imagine? What I found most interesting were the paintings and a collection of the various wardrobes and dresses that were worn during that time, starting with the oldest and gradually becoming more modern. I noticed that dresses that date back to the 16th Century were puffier than those that were worn later – as well as paler skin and bigger wigs. It must have been so hard to even move in those wired dresses! As I stood there in my jean skirt and T-shirt, I began imagining what people back in the day would think of our modern outfits. I’m sure they needed at least two people to help them put their clothes on, and much more than 10 seconds to wear a dress.

There was elegance in every room. The largest room of the castle was the ballroom, where the walls were decorated with portraits of people in the family and their ancestors. As I listened to the history of this room, I imagined a crowd of people in their finest outfits, dancing and celebrating the night away. While this room is still being used today, I’m sure it doesn’t involve women in puffy dresses and big wigs. Hmm, it would have been interesting to experience such a time era, but I think I’ll stick to my jean skirt and T-shirt.

Love always,
Mia