Living in the Northeast of the US, we have many old castles and settlements, though not nearly as many or as old as what you'll find in Europe. It quite easy to stroll through some of these places and visualize what it was like to live there during those time periods. If you have the imagination (and you have to to play some of these games) you can "see" the dragon flying overhead and the wizard standing on the ramparts ready to defend. I look forward to touring the ancient European sites, the feeling must be so much stronger there...
Another great aspect of this region is the vast amounts of wilderness still left, lots of mountains and such. I try hard to get out into the woods for a few days (at least) of camping every year. It's a great way to 'cleanse' the soul, as it were. And, yes, while I'm out there, roughing it, there's a part of me who IS a ranger, doing all the stuff rangers do!
Whenever I get to high ground and see the world spread out before me, I wish desperately that I could have seen it 300 years ago, before we came in with our factories, industry and pollutants.
|