Day 12: Burg Eltz (and some more kolsch) 😀
When we woke up, we concluded that another day of drinking kolsch was not advisable. So, we decided to take a train out into the country to visit a lesser-known castle, called Burg Eltz. Neither April nor I had heard of this place before, but somehow Owen found and suggested it. What a great suggestion.
We had to take a high speed train, transfer to a regional train at Koblenz, and then take a bus to the castle. Along the way, we saw the ancient terraced wineries of the Rhine River that date back to Roman occupation before 400 AD. They make the most of all the dirt on these steep hillsides:
Our regional train dropped us off at Hatzenport, a small German village. We caught the 365 bus to Burg Eltz. Instead of taking the shuttle van to the castle, we walked down a steep road towards the castle, which is located in the middle of a river valley -- very safe from invaders. The first views of Burg Eltz were stunning:
When we were in Munich, we considered taking a day trip to Neuschwanstein, the famous castle that inspired the Walt Disney castle. But, we knew it would be hot and crowded, with a 10 day hour time frame. So, we took a pass. This out of the way castle is just as inspiring with relatively small crowds and a much more relaxed feel.
We waited in a courtyard for a guided tour in English. There were so many things to marvel at in the meantime.
The family that historically owned this castle still exists and owns it.
The tour guide took us through each room of the three residence houses. There were three branches of the family that each had their own residence. They had very formal relationships, including a lengthy written list of rules -- violation of which could result in punishments including being forced to live in the surrounding forest for a year... They didn't mess around.
Unfortunately, photos were prohibited in the residences. It's a shame because each room was loaded with things hundreds of years old. Admittedly, I did sneak a few photos, but they're rushed and not high quality...
The armory was particularly cool. There were jousting sticks, suits of armor, crossbow bolts, and many other instruments of death. It reminded of us Ace Ventura saying "What a lovely room of death!"
Halberds. These things are amazing. They can chop you like a battle ax, stab you like a spear, and hook you off of a horse. They were way scarier in person. To think that lines of people faced off with this kind of stuff is mind blowing. We've gotten soft...
The tour was wonderful. We also had a bite to eat on the castle's patio and had a wonderful conversation with an older lady from Frankfurt. She had never been to Burg Eltz. And, certainly she would have disagreed with our Austrian friends if she knew what they had said about her fair city.
Needless to say, we paid the $2/person fee for the shuttle van back up the hill.
The train ride back to Cologne was beautiful. The Rhine River valley is spectacular. Maybe a Viking River Cruise is in order...
In the meantime, we had also learned of another top kolsch brewery, Pfeffen. We found it nearby and tried it. Very, very good. It had some flavor, instead of being so crisp and clean like Fruh, but no unpleasant finish like Peters. We couldn't decide between Pfeffen and Fruh, so they tie!
Beer coasters play a big role in the kolsch experience. The waiter makes pencil marks on a coaster to keep track of how many beers have been purchased. I pocketed a lot of coasters for the beer-making garage. April was not impressed by my sticky fingers...
April memorialized our final beer notes, along with a few of her own beer observations:
Someone is missing her West Coast IPAs...
Day 12 was incredible. If you're in Western Germany, near the Rhine River, you really should visit Burg Eltz and maybe sample some of the white wines!
Tomorrow morning we set off for our final stop, Dusseldorff (where we fly out early the next day). Hopefully we'll fit in some time to explore the Cologne Cathedral.
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