The sky of this picture seems to have blended with the white of the background – this is a castle in Germany that I visited back in 2008. It is called Burg castle and you can find out more on its website or there is always faithful Wikipedia.
In the center of Cardiff, where I grew up, there is a Castle. To me this is completely normal. Cardiff Castle is only a stone’s throw from Burger Kings, Starbucks, Sainsbury’s’ and Tescos. Well I say a stone’s throw but you’d probably need a trebuchet.
What other towns are like this?
York has a medieval wall and so does Tenby. I’m sure there are many towns across Europe that still have vestiges of old buildings. Actually that might be a rather redundant statement as with churches and cathedrals it could even be most cities and towns.
‘I grew up in Europe, where the history comes from.’
When writing it is interesting, actually essential, to know what is normal. Nobody would place a castle in the United States of course but there are other factors to consider when considering peoples from places you’re unfamiliar with.
I was writing a scene in which a centaur nodded – to indicate approval. Then I realised I was trapped within a British view of things. Nodding doesn’t mean agreement everywhere. If the centaurs were from Ancient Greece then they would have an entirely different set of gestures.
That’s it for this post but the question of normality will continue in the next post. Specifically what is normal in our minds? A problem when writing in the first person.
***
I just wanted to say that I have checked this post. I really have. Unfortunately my particular combination of dyslexia and dyspraxia makes it really hard for me to spot typos. Please enjoy and I’ll try not to make too many errors.
Unstable Orbit 