chateau de chillon

when i was little there was a book in my rotation called “emily’s runaway imagination.” i absolutely loved this book, and felt i could relate to this gal who lived in a little town but had a mind & heart full of big ideas. i’ve always been a bit of a dreamer – imagining a different life, or different surroundings. not because i was (or am) unhappy or unsatisfied with my reality, but simply because my brain just goes there. i wonder what it would be like … is a permanent thought that circles my over-crowded brain. when we moved to nyc i would wander the streets of the upper east side, imagining my “other” life which included a 4-story limestone townhouse and a circle of friends that originated from my private-school days. in paris my mind wanders to a tiny apartment filled with character and daily trips to the bakery and farmer’s market, working for a fashion house and eating macaroons for lunch. do other people do this? or is this a characteristic limited to emilys and their runaway imaginations … ?

regardless, as such, i didn’t find it at all strange that as we wandered the courtyards and dining halls of chillon castle in switzerland, i imagined myself as part of the european aristocracy, hosting grand balls in the grand halls of this gorgeous chateau. it dates back to the 12 th century (the. 12th. century.) and is truly stunning. i obsessed over the gorgeous tile work (chevron walls!?) and raced through the dungeons (due to the above mentioned imagination i am also the biggest freaking scary-cat). i lingered in the courtyards and imagined i could hear the clip clop of soldiers on horses, and paused in the dining hall to picture the loud and lavish meals that must have taken place. i peeked out the windows to the glittering water of lake geneva and the alps rising from the shore, and wondered who else had done so, and what they were thinking. this european life is giving my imagination so much material to work with.