This week I had the opportunity to visit the Chateau de Tarascon. Although a “small” castle compared to that of Versailles or Chambord, I was nonetheless impressed by how beautiful and strong the castle remains today. The castle was built in the 1400s, and lived through many kings, queens, wars, and tourists. I was amazed that 600 years later, I can still walk on the same stone that royalty had walked on in the past. Many of the steps are completely worn down due to the thousands of people that have used them. My favorite part was seeing etched in graffiti done by prisoners since the castle was used as a prison during many different wars. Throughout the castle, people have engraved their name and the year into the stone. You can see engravings from the 1800s up to the mid-1900s made by prisoners. It was amazing to see how something so ancient still held modern history within it.

The castle also featured contemporary art of a local mythical creature called a tarasque. The tarasque is a sort of water dragon that symbolizes the strength of the Rhone river that runs alongside the castle. Today, the tarasque is a symbol of the town of Tarascon, and images of it are scattered around the city.