Another burst of spontaneity came on Saturday as my partner woke up and decided we should go see someone about a castle. Before I knew it, after a quick trip through cloudy Nijmegen, we were face to face with a 13th-century castle in the boonies of Gelderland near the German border. It was touch and go with the weather early on but it cleared up a bit once we got there. It even got sunny, believe it or not.

Not so much a castle as it is a humongous house, it was nonetheless impressive. Much as I’m a fan of Downton Abbey, the scaredy-cat that I am, I personally can’t imagine living in such a huge place – my wild imagination just wouldn’t be able to handle it. The gardens, though a definite plus, since I would want to do it by myself would just be the end of me. Moderation is the key in life so they say, and I’m glad I can abide by that – even if not entirely by choice.