Day 2:

 Burg Eltz

I can't even begin to explain how amazing this destination was for us!! It was the perfect way to start our trip, with a drive through the German countryside and a short hike through a dense forest, to suddenly come upon this site:

Here's what is SO COOL about this place......

1. The tours are offered in English, which can be a challenge in this part of the country.  

2. This property has been privately owned in the same family for 33 generations.  

3. All the artifacts within its walls are pieces that actually belong to the family.  They are not reproductions or new pieces.....they are relics that have been with the castle and the family all these years.

4. This is just one of a few castles in all of Europe that have stood completely intact, having never been destroyed by war or plundered by enemies.  In my opinion, the family was a collective genius in the art of politics and power, as they were able to either maintain peace with their neighbors or create enough allies to stave off threats. There was one five year period of a seige, where the family was bombarded by the bishop (the siege tower can still be seen), but they came to terms to save the castle and surrounding property.

5. It is a stunning landscape, hidden within a dense forest, and built along a gorgeous hillside.  It is the kind of place I thought of when I was a child when listening to fairy tales.  It has been rated by many critics as the most beautiful site in all of Europe.  I couldn't agree more.

On the grounds of Eltz.  No pictures were allowed inside during the tour, so most of our shots were around the grounds. 

I appear to be having a serious conversation with this knight, but I was just in awe of how SMALL these men must have been!  Not to mention, many of the suits of armor were 60+ pounds and required a squire to help him mount his horse!  In the background, you can see the boulders of rock that the base of the castle was built upon.

Did I mention no pictures were allowed inside the castle?  Well, the boys were so impressed by this in the kitchen that we just had to sneak a pic.  It is a huge, basically petrified, block of wood, cut from a 500 year old tree from the neighboring forest and was used as a butcher block.  So, it's basically 1,000 years old.  We would like this in our kitchen, please.