It's that time of year — or at least, it's that time of the pandemic — when photos of Europeans going on vacation to Italy or the south of France take over social media.
It hurts only a little, especially as the borders to the EU remain closed to US tourists and a 14-day quarantine is mandated for those traveling to the UK. Many countries are keeping American travelers out because the outbreak is not considered contained in the US, with total reported cases approaching 5.5 million at last count — far more than any other country's reported case total.
Luckily, a few English and Scottish castles were nice enough to "open" their doors so anyone (including US citizens) can virtually take the holiday we all very much need. And though we can't actually sit in the gardens at Scotland's Blair Castle or walk the rooms of the Queen's Palace of Holyroodhouse — with a good internet connection, we can pretend that we're right there.
Too bad no one has recreated this virtual experience for the beaches in Portofino (yet, anyway).
Here's how to access the online tour offerings for five stunning English castles that make for an ideal virtual-weekend escape.