I just had the most amazing experience possible during covid times! For one of my school assignments, I started looking for accommodations in buildings that are part of the Dutch Water Line. This is an ingenious water-based defensive plan that the Dutch implemented in the 17th century. The idea was to flood low-lying areas to defend against enemy troops. It was too shallow for boats and too deep to quickly move through on foot. It turned out very successful in combination with bunkers and fortresses.
And I managed to book a room at one of these fortresses: Loevestein Castle. This castle is most famous for the escape of Hugo de Groot/Hugo Grotius by hiding in a book chest. But I wasn't there for that story.
I arrived there after dark. Before you get to the castle, you have to drive through a bit of a natural park. It was super foggy and pitch black. I had no idea where I was going!
According to the directions I had to park near the castle and then call. In the middle of nowhere, I found a parking lot that was completely empty and I called to make sure I was in the right spot. Fortunately, there was also a parking lot for guests closer to the castle. The host sounded very friendly, so this was all going to turn out fine.
I checked into my room in one of the old soldier houses and learned that I was the only guest that evening. I was free to wander around and the next day I could visit the museum and a tour of the castle.
After getting something to eat, It was time to stretch my legs and see if I could take some photos.
Who knew...
I was having a great time. I REALLY was alone. While walking alongside the moat, all I would hear were birds and my own footsteps. The fog became thicker and thicker and I realized this was an ideal situation to run into a ghost or two.
Thankfully, the path was beautifully lit so I could see where I was going. And the light was also pretty useful when I wanted to photograph some structures/trees that I found during my walk.
After walking around and photographing for like an hour or two... I knew for sure that I wanted to come back here. I felt amazing and I never really had this eerie feeling you would expect being alone in an area like this, under these circumstances. No... I felt at home and was super excited about the photos that I had taken.
I slept like a baby that evening.
A row of soldier housing on the castle grounds
Spooky trees in the fog along the moat
If it wasn't for these lights... I would have fallen into the water
More trees in the dark