To celebrate Troy's birthday, we took a quick weekend trip to Germany. First stop was Burg Elz, in the Mosel Valley, which according to Rick Steves is one of the best castles in Europe. Not that we're experts, but we agree. Its setting is breathtaking, with the castle appearing to literally spring from the rock. And, the inside is furnished and maintained too. (The castle has been in the same family for about 800 years!)
From there we somehow made it over country roads to the Rhine Valley and the tiny medieval village of Bacharach. This was our last roadtrip in the navigation-system-less-Citroën -- hooray! Google Maps is great for many things, but not so much for navigating the German countryside. For example, the directions will say something like "Turn right at K88/Perscheider Straße. Continue to follow K88 8.5 km." This sounds straightforward enough until you actually try to do it. Then you discover that turn right actually means continue going straight, that K88 refers to a microscopic sign on the side of a barn, and that 8.5 km is open to interpretation.
But I digress. Once safely arrived in Bacharach, we hiked to a castle-turned-hostel above the town, explored a church that has been preserved as a ruin, and did some winetasting.
The next day, we took a cruise on the Rhine River to St. Goar. There we explored the ruins of Rheinfels castle, which dates from the 12th century and was once the largest fortress on the Rhine until it was sacked by the French in the 1800s. Afterwards, we enjoyed a late lunch (5 pm but a meal that is not breakfast or dinner must be lunch, correct?) before catching the boat back to Bacharach.
Although quite chilly for June, it was a lovely way to celebrate Troy's b'day.
To see more photos of our trip, Click Here
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sounds like a great way to spend one's birthday! Hope you had a good one Troy!
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