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,…
Introduction: My grandfather, King George I of Greece, was partial to his sister Alexandra. She had married the Prince of Galles, the future King Edward VII of England: the origin of the close ties between the royal families of Greece and England. In 1910, George I attended the funeral of King Edward VII in London,…