#2 - Breaking, entering, and bravely retreating

Welcome fellow adventurers, Sally here, your resident connoisseur of all things weird and morbid, and I'm joined by my skeptical sidekick, Gilbert. 

Do we have a treat for you! We took a road trip a few days ago to visit… Tihange Castle! Or what is left of it anyway. The reports didn’t lie, it is a sad, empty, crumbling building and has lost all of its former glory but NOT its eerie ambiance that is for sure.

It was almost completely overgrown with vines and at what used to be the wooden, majestic front door a "Do Not Enter" sign that practically begged us to explore. Naturally, we couldn't resist.

Gilbert, ever the skeptic, chuckled as we crossed the threshold. "What, no ghostly butler to greet us?" he quipped, flashlight in hand. But the joke was on him.

Inside, the air felt thick with an unsettling chill and the musty smell of damp and decay. The grand hall, once majestic, now lay in ruins, with tattered antique wallpaper fluttering like ghostly whispers. Shadows danced on the walls, and every creak of the floorboards echoed like a phantom's footsteps.

After skulking around a bit, we stumbled upon the remains of the main stairs. The beautiful woodwork riddled with bug holes and covered in soft moss. It must have been impressive back in the day, you can just imagine servants polishing the meticulously hand carved wooden features. On the floor in front of the stairs we found something strange, a large amount of candles scattered around. They looked old and some of them had melted into what used to be a rug (no doubt very expensive back in the days) but the sheer amount of them was peculiar. 

Gilbert suggested that the lady of the house might have had a candle hoarding problem but to be honest, it just felt… off. None of the records we could find said anything about candles, intriguing don't you think?

Just as we were about to leave, we heard it - a low, mournful wail that sent shivers down our spines. Gilbert's bravado faltered. "Okay, maybe this place is a little spooky," he admitted, glancing around nervously.

As we made our hasty exit, the castle seemed to exhale, as if it was relieved to be rid of us. We emerged into the daylight, our hearts racing but our spirits high.

I am now even more set on digging deeper into the mystery to find out what really happened back in 1975. There are things that need to be pulled out of their shadows, brought into the light.

Will you join us on our quest? 

And in the meantime:

Stay Curious

Stay Sceptical

And sleep…

… with one eye open!

Photos by talesofaperture.com