Went to the city's castle -- very ancient, has been held by a few empires over the last thousand years. Extraordinary views out over the plain, which are also visible at the (much smaller) citadel at the opposite end of the insular channel at the confluence of the two rivers. I try to make at least one visit there each time I visit here. I much prefer the castles in Transylvania, though -- there's something very discomfiting about seeing signs for lurid exhibitions of medieval torture devices, given the events of the last fifty years hereabouts -- at least in the northern castles, I'm absolutely confident that they haven't been used for warmaking or carceral purposes for a few centuries. One does get odd vibes. But I suppose I'm peculiarly sensitive. I still wonder a bit why people listen to orchestral requiems as art or entertainment.
