Episode Details

This month both Elke and Cari were on their respective vacations, visiting places near and far.

In this episode, Elke shares her history with the Gen Con Tabletop Gaming Conference, which she's been directly involved with for over 11 years. This year she went with her oldest son Chance, and had a blast working and playing with the over 71,000 guests to the event!

Cari and her daughter went to Scotland, with a stay in the Balintore Castle in moorland above Balintore village, a few miles north of the Loch of Lintrathen, near Kirriemuir, Angus. Balintore Castle is a stunning Victorian hunting lodge, built in 1860 surrounded by incredible highland scenery.

David Johnston bought the A-listed Balintore Castle property in 2007, after years of searching for a castle to restore. His ongoing labors of love have brought the castle back from abandonment and ruin, and guests can once again be hosted in great style and comfort. His dream is to continue the parties and great fun hosted by Lady Langman, the last owner in the mid-20th century.

Listen in on David and Cari’s conversation in the castle’s servants’ kitchen!

Show Notes:

• The Balintore Castle webpage
• David's blog about restoring the castle
• David's Gofundme page for the Balintore Castle Great Hall restoration
• The Wikipedia page for Balintore Castle
• Visit Scotland webpage for Balintore Castle
• The Canmore.org.uk page for Balintore Castle, with historic photos from the 1960s and 1970s, and the original architectural drawings from 1859.
• Buildings at Risk Register in Scotland, to find your own castle!

​Credits:

Music: ​Vale of Atholl Junior Pipeband; Pitlochry 2008; Recorded by Inchadney and posted on Freesound.org

Image: Cari Simson; Balintore Castle in 2024

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Recorded August 2024

Audio edited by Elke Hautala 

Cari Simson and Elke Hautala formed Invisible Histories to visually and viscerally connect the public to experiences from the past. Their Invisible Histories podc