Each member of the McMillin family slept well last night in our Pension Weinzerhaus rooms. I woke up twice due to one of Emmie’s feet finding a spot on my body to kick, and I was delighted each time to see black skies outside our window.
We made it to the breakfast room by 9:00 a.m., with simple but filling offerings such as meats, cheeses, breads, fruit, cereal, and yogurts. Aside from Emmie’s yogurt fumble, the kids were pretty good for breakfast, and the single additional diner in the room seemed amused by their conversations with us regarding the appropriate amount of butter for their toast. (Emmie informed Brian several times that he put too much butter on her toast; refer to previous posts regarding Brian’s butter consumption. )
The breakfast spread in Pension Winzerhaus.
We strolled down into Bacharach, stopped in a few touristy stores, and scoped out dinner options before loading into the car for the hour drive to our lunch and afternoon destination: Burg Eltz castle. The castle had been on Brian’s radar ever since we watched the episode of Rick Steves’ Europe where he declares Burg Eltz to be his favorite castle in all of Europe. Emmie and I snoozed I the car, while Brian and Noah discussed the difficulties of driving up one-lane mountain roads.
We snagged a package of candy at the Bacharach grocery store.
With no room for grass along the cobblestone streets, most homes and businesses had displays of flowers in front. Emmie enjoyed smelling those at the street level.
According to our guidebook, the fee for parking at Burg Eltz was €1.50, which is what I handed the man at the booth, to which he responded with some frantic German mutterings. We gathered that I had not paid enough but had no idea what he was repeating, so I decided to place a few pieces of change into his hand. He kept the €2 coin and returned the rest; apparently the fee had increased.
We diligently followed the signs to Burg Eltz, sometimes through one-lane mountain roads.
After following the peaceful footpath approximately 15 minutes through the woods, Burg Eltz popped into view. With parts of the castle dating back to the 12th century, it has been intact since the 1300s and is decorated and furnished much as it was 500 years ago. The Eltz family has owned the castle for 850 years.
Our first view of the Burg Eltz castle from the footpath.
Same general spot, but with family members and from a different angle.
We crossed the idealic footbridge leading to the front of the castle and entered through the front gate. Steps down took us to a cute cafe in the courtyard overlooking the valley and Eltz river below. I claimed a table while Brian ordered our food, and the kids got thoroughly dirty playing in the gravel below the table. Noah enjoyed his pretzel but refused to touch his sandwich while Emmie mostly ignored her meal, continuing to play in the dirt and only occasionally popping up to steal a French fry or nibble on her sandwich when she was scolded to eat “or else.” I really liked my chicken with cream cheese and herbs and the especially delicious Pepsi that came with it. Brian reports that his roast pork was ‘fine’ but that he should have gotten a bratwurst instead.
The inside of the castle is accessible only with a purchased tour. We timed it perfectly and had to wait only a few minutes before the next English tour started. Emmie rode in the carrier on my chest while Noah hung out with Brian. Emmie’s entertainment was having me tell her the names of the individuals shown in various family portraits. Noah’s favorite part was a stained glass window that featured a duck. Brian and I found the tour to be interesting but did spend a good deal of time shushing the kids. We are happy to report, however, that the noisiest kids on the tour were not ours. It’s always a relief when that happens.
No photos during the tour but we took a multitude afterwards.
Noah and Emmie loved climbing outside the castle.
One of our favorites so far this trip.
Happy Emmie with Burg Eltz in the background.
We lazily paid the €4 fee to ride a shuttle back to the car and avoid the uphill return on the footpath to the parking lot. We were then on our way to Cochem. While parking in the parking garage, a very nice couple came up to the car and handed us a parking pass that still had time on it, so we saved some change in parking fees and avoided the hassle of figuring out the parking machine. We then walked the short distance to the Sesselbahn, a chair lift that allows for beautiful views of the Mosel River valley. Emmie was initially terrified, however quickly warmed up to the experience. She loved watching Daddy and Noah disembark from their chair. We took in the view from the top and then switched kids to ride the lift back down.
View of the Cochem Castle from the top of the Sesselbahn.
Both of the kids slept on the hour and a half ride back to Bacharach and were very energetic when they woke up. Emmie and I headed up to our room, while Noah accompanied Brian to the grocery store to get more food for an in-room supper. They returned with more of the paprika-sesame turkey from the night before plus two varieties of cheese as selected by Noah. We carefully ate the meat, crackers, and cheese, not wanting to spill in our room. We attempted a final stop at the ice cream cafe in Bacharach only to find it closed at 7:00 p.m. after walking downtown.
A small glimpse at the selection of meat at the grocery store.
The next morning, we depart Germany and arrive in France!
Noah’s Photo of the Day
That pretzel looks pretty tasty. I’m happy to see the warmer climate.
Wait until you see the pretzels we purchased in Colmar, France – they were excellent! – Brian