Burg Eltz and Candlelit Kuchen
Today Katie took all of the students and her children to Koln to see the cathedral and a few museums. Meanwhile, I let our kids play in the sandbox in the palace yard. They were happier there than anywhere else, and this was the first day since Friday that we didn't have to catch at least one train, so I figured that they might as well enjoy the peace.
Rob had to go into town for a couple of things, and he came back with a car around lunchtime. We piled the kids into it (without explaining that we were going to another castle, lest they run into the woods and we never find them again) and took off. This is the first time we've had a car with a navigation system in it and it really helped us through town, but then I started getting jealous of the 'other woman' who was shouting out directions to Rob (in German, so I couldn't even tell when to contradict her). We turned her off and figured it out ourselves.
This was a castle I'd seen pictures of and heard good things about (from no less a source than Rick Steves!) called Burg Eltz which runs along a river called the Mosel which is famous for its wines like Riesling and Gewurtztraminer. It is very very pretty, but the grapes are different than in Napa. In CA they train the grapes along wires and the plants grow wide, but here, they just grow them strait up and they really pack in the plants. Perhaps their varieties do better with more root to grape ratio, but it took me a long time to recognize them as grapevines.
The castle itself is the at a horseshoe bend in a little stream running down to the Mosel river. It is very imposing and has been around since the 1200's in the Eltz family for 33 generations. It was at one point a castle for three different branches of the Eltz family, the silver lion, the gold lion and the buffalo horns, who all lived in different parts and had one joint room where they discussed living affairs like an early condo association.
The castle had amazing painting on the walls and was very well decked out with original furniture and acoutrements since it had never been taken (it was under siege for a few years, but they worked that out eventually). Will loved the armory which had everything from baby cannons (an archibus) to Turkish swords and shield. Maddie was most amazed by the early toilets (having read about chamber pots) and the rain drains that would wash them out. We let the kids walk down and play in the stream before the tour and bribed them with ice cream after the tour and they did really well. So well in fact, that they walked the steep, steep climb back to the car without even one complaint!
Maybe it was the fact that we had caved in for lunch and gotten them Happy Meals with Cars The Movie toys in them from McDonalds (they let you order the toys you want! they had a bathroom with a self-cleaning toilet seat! wild.).
When we got home, it was time for Rob to climb the ladder and light the candles on the chandelier. It really looked impressive and covered a multitude of weirdnesses about this mossy place. The students have been very upbeat about it though and they have gotten into using the public rooms to play piano and billiards and hang out in a palace. Oh, and Mom, don't worry. That thing that I thought was chewing the couch, was actually just water dripping from the ceiling above. It will probably cave in someday, but hopefully not tomorrow!
Rob had to go into town for a couple of things, and he came back with a car around lunchtime. We piled the kids into it (without explaining that we were going to another castle, lest they run into the woods and we never find them again) and took off. This is the first time we've had a car with a navigation system in it and it really helped us through town, but then I started getting jealous of the 'other woman' who was shouting out directions to Rob (in German, so I couldn't even tell when to contradict her). We turned her off and figured it out ourselves.
This was a castle I'd seen pictures of and heard good things about (from no less a source than Rick Steves!) called Burg Eltz which runs along a river called the Mosel which is famous for its wines like Riesling and Gewurtztraminer. It is very very pretty, but the grapes are different than in Napa. In CA they train the grapes along wires and the plants grow wide, but here, they just grow them strait up and they really pack in the plants. Perhaps their varieties do better with more root to grape ratio, but it took me a long time to recognize them as grapevines.
The castle itself is the at a horseshoe bend in a little stream running down to the Mosel river. It is very imposing and has been around since the 1200's in the Eltz family for 33 generations. It was at one point a castle for three different branches of the Eltz family, the silver lion, the gold lion and the buffalo horns, who all lived in different parts and had one joint room where they discussed living affairs like an early condo association.
The castle had amazing painting on the walls and was very well decked out with original furniture and acoutrements since it had never been taken (it was under siege for a few years, but they worked that out eventually). Will loved the armory which had everything from baby cannons (an archibus) to Turkish swords and shield. Maddie was most amazed by the early toilets (having read about chamber pots) and the rain drains that would wash them out. We let the kids walk down and play in the stream before the tour and bribed them with ice cream after the tour and they did really well. So well in fact, that they walked the steep, steep climb back to the car without even one complaint!
Maybe it was the fact that we had caved in for lunch and gotten them Happy Meals with Cars The Movie toys in them from McDonalds (they let you order the toys you want! they had a bathroom with a self-cleaning toilet seat! wild.).
When we got home, it was time for Rob to climb the ladder and light the candles on the chandelier. It really looked impressive and covered a multitude of weirdnesses about this mossy place. The students have been very upbeat about it though and they have gotten into using the public rooms to play piano and billiards and hang out in a palace. Oh, and Mom, don't worry. That thing that I thought was chewing the couch, was actually just water dripping from the ceiling above. It will probably cave in someday, but hopefully not tomorrow!
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