"Castleing"

Can the word "Castle" really be converted to a verb?

Sage and I went to hit a few of the local castles today. The castles in this part of Holland are primarily fortified houses/manors – nothing like what you see in France or Germany. These were simply large private landholders who had the means to build such fortifications and staff them with small private armies. From what we can gather, there was also some protection provided for the local villagers, but it was very limited.

We started out at Broederode Ruins in Santport Noord, just a few minutes drive from Haarlem. It is also strategically located on the way to one of Sages favorite dog parks so we were able to begin with an hour romp in the woods. This particular castle was sacked by the Spanish in the 14th century and it was never rebuilt. They have stabilized the ruins and now allow visitors to walk the grounds, climb the towers and generally explore all the different areas of the fortification. The main hall has been somewhat restored and the locals have evening fires and ghost tales by candlelight. I’ve also been told that they hold an annual Shakespeare event that has the actors and audience throughout the grounds….but we haven’t seen anything official about it yet.

We then drove a bit further north, under the North Sea Canal, and into the town of Heemskerk. This town has a castle from the 15th century, but it has been added onto over the years and is still used today as a venue for weddings and parties. Unfortunately, it was in use today so we couldn’t get onto the grounds for a closer look or historical overview.

The last picture is of Bruge, Belgium. There was room in the photo compilation for one more and thought this was a good one. I can still hear the “clomping” of the horse draw carriage echoing off the wet cobblestone.

Finally - any feedback on the photo compilations? Can you see them or are they too small?