King Murat had a brother who was made count, Count Murat. His descendants still live in Lot, the ancestral home of the lineage. In the 19th century, one of the most impressive, rich, and vast caves in all of Europe was discovered on their land, the cave of Pech Merle. A distance niece of King…
Lady Huntington was becoming annoyed. It was the 19th century, and this commanding woman owned one of the most famous homes in Ireland. As was the custom of the time, she received the local parish priest for lunch each and every Sunday. Now, on each occasion, the priest insisted upon talking about the ghost who…
The Fredensborg Palace has been the preferred residence of Danish Royalty for generations. It is neither the grandest nor the most sumptuous royal home, but it is the most beautiful and the most comfortable. It is also the most inhabited. The home is surrounded by a vast romantic park that extends all the way to…
Wilhelmina couldn’t sleep. She tossed and turned for hours in the large bed. She was preoccupied, she didn’t feel comfortable. All in all, the White House, which is spoken so highly of, is much smaller and much less comfortable than her European Palaces. However, since the independence of the United States, much of History…
My friend Eric told me the following story, which he heard directly from one of the two heroines. The Countess of Somewhere lived with her husband in an enormous apartment near the Champs de Mars. She was charming, intelligent, and open-minded. Her husband was an old, unpleasant scrooge, and an anti-Semite. A new couple moved…
In 1992, the Universal Exposition was held in Seville, Spain. The chef-d’oeuvre of the fair was an exhibition entitled “1492,” a celebration of the year the Americas were discovered. Masterpieces from every country and culture dating from the era were assembled and presented for the exhibit. The exposition was housed in a wood and plaster structure, built…
It was my friend Manet who told me of the famous ghost of Kuhlau. I was intrigued, I needed to see it for myself. Manet arranged a visit and soon we were driving through the Czech countryside on our way to the chateau. From afar we spotted the enormous medieval fortress, keeping watch from its…
Doneraile Court is a beautiful Irish chateau, her enormous rooms overflow with sunlight and the tall bay windows look out over romantic parks. This most attractive and charming home is also full of ghosts. There is the black chariot pulled by six black horses and driven by the headless coachman who announces the death of…
Leap Castle is a fitting name for the most haunted place in Ireland. Throughout its history, it has seen fratricidal warring, murders, massacres, and disappearances. It is overrun with a variety of phantoms. In the early 20th century a dungeon was discovered filled with hundreds of skeletons. A bit later three standing skeletons were found…
Some time ago, old houses surrounded the chapel in Patmos, the one that I consider my oratory. An old man inhabited one of these homes. One night, the old man was awoken by chants coming from the chapel. The hour was much too late for the Liturgy. The old man dressed quickly, crossed the street,…