Castles, and Dragons, too

The late afternoon air whipped my hair wildly, blocking and then revealing to me the vast plain tinted gold and rich pink. As the sun slid behind distant hills, the air not only whipped my body, but also my soul. The glory extended out of me into laughter, and it, too, was whipped away.

«This is my Queendom», I told myself, pretending I was living hundreds of years ago in this very place. In my glee, I secretly searched for a silhouetted dragon flying out of the setting sun!

I have felt the same in California, for example on a mountain top in the California Sierra Nevada Range; the sheer beauty and wildness of Yosemite is breathtaking.

Darcie exploring the Chinchilla Castle in Valencia, Spain

But this was different. This was Spain, and I had walk 30 kilometres along the Camino del Levante that day with the view of the Chinchilla castle up on a hill top teasing me the entire day. Tired as I was when I arrived in town, I couldn’t wait to hike up and explore it!

Describing my love for Spain to my people back in California, I have said it's the mid day siesta, the many Caminos de Santiago crisscrossing the country. I listed Flamenco, picaetas, red wine and outdoor cafes lining the streets filled with friends and families connecting. I include the ornate ancient churches, monasteries and cathedrals shrouded in gargoyles and history, and the Quijote and that Spanish is a dominante language.

When my people respond, they mention California wine and oranges and the Mediterranean climate, famous writers like Steinbeck and Steven King, the Pacific Coast Trail that goes from Mexico to Canada following the Sierra Nevada Mountains. It has churches and missions that the Spaniards built, and, that Los Angles has more Spanish speaking people living in it  than all the people in Madrid.

Of course, the Californians are right, it is a beautiful, diverse place to live; I love it. But I have kept the real truth to myself, until now; what also really thrills me are the castles! And I will never giving up searching the mountain peaks for a dragon!

My love for castles deepened as I spent 49 days walking the Camino del Levante from Valencia to Santiago de Compostela and then on to Finestera a few summers ago. People asked how I could walk so far.

«From Castle to Castle, and church tower to church tower», I told them. And I am almost certain I saw the flash of a dragon tail disappear behind that castle en Chinchilla when the sun had just set!