Journey with author, Dawn Berkoski, as she explores Scone Palace, The Sword of Destiny, and Moot Hill, where 42 Scottish Kings were crowned.

I drove down an oak-lined driveway, at least a mile long, with acres of land stretching out as far as I could see. After a while, the pink sandstone turrets of Glamis Castle came into view, and a v…

“I lived principally in the country as a girl, and passed a considerable time in Scotland. I made occasional visits to the more picturesque parts; but my habitual residence was on the blank a…

The first time I saw Doune Castle was in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, one of my favorite comedy films growing up. I saw the castle again in Outlander and Game of Thrones. Sadly, everything I kn…

“I accompanied them to the court. During the whole of this wretched mockery of justice I suffered living torture. It was to be decided whether the result of my curiosity and lawless devices w…

The sky was gray as I entered Stirling Castle. The cobblestones were slippery from the recent rain. But none of that mattered. Like lightning before a storm, static energy hung in the air. I felt l…

Behind The Church of the Holy Rude lies Old Town Cemetery. And on the outskirts of this graveyard, nestled beneath the towering walls of Stirling Castle, stands the dark and ominous sight of the St…

It rained the day I arrived in Stirling. I pulled my hood tighter as I left the train station and trekked up the winding road toward Stirling Castle. As I walked, dark puddles formed by my feet. Th…

There is a quote I always believed in, based on proverbs about wisdom, and attributed to Sir. Francis Bacon. “Knowledge is power.” If only I knew more, I thought, then surely a light wo…

To understand another person, a fictional character, a new place, and myself, I return to the beginning. An old house, a graveyard, a hut carved into a mountain side, a barn. Any insight is valuabl…

A church with a blood-red door. That’s the first thing I noticed as I walked up the Royal Mile toward Edinburgh Castle. The second was a red rope for visitors to line up behind to enter. As I…

The strangest part about descending Jacob’s ladder was that I began in one Kirkyard and ended up at another. It made sense. Jacob’s ladder wasn’t meant for mere mortals to tread. …

“Learn from me, if not by my precepts, at least by my example, how dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge, and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be his world, th…

“You have to watch the sunset from Calton Hill.” That’s what I was told. And I was determined to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site on my first night in Edinburgh. So, I left Gr…

All stories have a past, present, and future. Where a storyteller starts, and ends, is a window into their soul. As you know, I like to begin in a graveyard. A cemetery certainly sets a tone, and m…

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It started as soon as I closed my eyes. I was roaming through a dark medieval castle, surrounded by thick stone walls, searching for something I couldn’t see. I found a window and looked out …

After viewing the collections in the Vanderbilt Museum, I thought it would be nice to see some living animals. So, my next stop was The Long Island Game Farm, to pet some baby goats. After purchasi…

Eagle’s Nest was the summer cottage of William Vanderbilt II, the great grandson of the famous railroad tycoon. Built in 1910, it remains one of the few original Gold Coast mansions left on L…

It was a sunny day in January when I visited Caumsett State Historic Park. I was staying with a friend in Huntington, and she filled me in on the local history as we drove along the Gold Coast of L…

Perhaps it was the darkness of Colossal Cave, but the sky looked especially blue as I exited the caverns. The snow from the morning had disappeared, giving way to wandering, white puffy clouds. Gon…

An iron gate barred the entrance to Colossal Cave. So, I silently waited with a group of strangers to descend into its midst. The creak of iron as the gate opened filled me with excitement. I felt …

Leaving Bisbee, I decided to take the scenic route towards Vail, driving along the Sonoita Mountain View Highway. Little did I know, it would begin to snow. I’d driven through snowstorms befo…

As I roamed the dark streets of Bisbee, Arizona, I felt like I was being watched. It was as if I had become a curiosity, an earthbound attraction for ghosts. I tried to ignore the feeling. I focuss…

I’ve been to a few “haunted” places during my travels. I’ve walked through graveyards at night, explored abandoned buildings, and taken hundreds of photos of places where pe…

When I left Tombstone, I thought I left the past behind. I didn’t realize that my next destination was filled with ghosts. Driving through parts of Arizona, I felt like I’d wandered int…

The Wild West. I always wanted to go to Tombstone, Arizona. A stroll through the past. A dust covered street where cowboys lived, and gunfights might erupt at any time. In my head, it was an import…

I set out early on my last day in Porto, following a tale of two churches side by side, a hidden house in between, and the incorruptible body of a nun. I found them all. And yet, the most memorable…

Shelves laden with books, a blood-red staircase, and a stained-glass ceiling to let in the light. Livraria Lello is listed as one of the most beautiful bookstores in the world. I always hoped to go…

I took a different path towards the river. A gut instinct, a swift decision, and off I went down the staircase near the bishop’s palace. Suddenly I was in a narrow passage with high walls on …

I smiled brightly as I headed up the hill towards the 12th century, Sé do Porto, but when I arrived, my bouncy steps faltered and my smile slipped. Was this a church or a medieval fortress? In the …

Two steps. Just two steps. Open the door and walk through. Easier said than done. The future I dreamed of was gone but still woven deep into my heart. Beloved, as all the best dreams are, and sorel…

As I descended into the catacombs beneath the Igreja de São Francisco in Porto, Portugal, where the hollowed remains of Franciscan friars reside near holy relics and one-of-a-kind pieces of art, I …

Less than four miles from the historic center of Porto is the Foz do Douro, where the mouth of the Douro River meets the Atlantic Ocean. From there, several sandy beaches stretch along the northern…

Gaia: a Greek goddess known as Mother Earth. She gave birth to the mountains, sky, and sea, three diverse entities united by a common core. Atop the hill, with a panoramic view of the blue sky, the…