Hayes Family Odyssey: Our Germany trip with Nana and Papa

View from castle in Heidelberg

Okay, this is ridiculous, I know. But this trip happened last April/May. And I am just now posting on it. But, my parents need the details and that has gotten me motivated. This is the trip that helped me fall in love with Germany. Beautiful countryside. Medieval castles. Drives through rolling hills. River upon river that winds around bends and hills and more castles. Really, an amazing trip. And it looks like we may do it again with my parents and some of their dearest friends, The Buckheisters. (My dad's roommate and best friend from his Clemson days - GO TIGERS!)

**NOTE: This is going to be one of those posts where I just shoot off from the mouth to get something out there. My parents want to see pictures from this and Normandy, so do not expect my normal erudite ramblings and brilliant psychological observations. (And I hope you didn't laugh at that last line, because I am SERIOUS.)

We started the trip with a drive down to Koblenz to get on the slower regional train that follows the path of the Rhine. We basically were using Rick Steve's Germany book to do this, and I was able to talk everyone through all the castles we were seeing. Thanks, Rick!

Luke checking out the view from the train - the Rhine river is GORGEOUS! (Spelled Rhein here in Deutschland)

How cute is this? In the town of Bacharach, the oldest building. The year is written on the buildings, and it says 1368. Still in use, but yes, it is leaning! Altes haus means "Old House"

Waiting on the train to take us back to the car and Koblenz.

We really enjoyed the train trip from Koblenz to Bacharach. We enjoyed the best döner sandwiches we have had in Bacharach and all the castles along the Rhine. It was a gorgeous, sunny Saturday!

Next stop was Burg Eltz, the most well-preserved medieval castle in all of Europe. It is Rick Steve's favorite castle and is only a 1 hr 45 minute drive from our house! From Koblenz, it is only about 45 minutes. So we were off!

Doesn't it look like something out of a fairy tale?

There were no photos allowed inside, but it was amazing. We saw the bedrooms, the kitchens, their room where they kept their armor, and it was all in fantastic shape. Seriously impressive.

Next stop was the drive to our German B&B for the night. We have come to love these privately owned B&B's. Just have to make sure you arrive before 6pm because often there is no one available to check you in if you arrive after that! YIKES!

The Mosel River valley - this photo does not do it justice. Gorgeous!

One more shot of Zee walking to the castle - seriously amazing.

Silas admiring the view.

Our B&B in between Burg Eltz and Heidelberg, our next stop.

We stayed the night at Alter-Posthof and had a great room with a living room, large bathroom, and 2 bedrooms - one with a bunk bed for the younger boys. Silas bunked with Nana and Papa. We all enjoyed the much larger breakfast buffet offered the next morning and the service was excellent. (The buffets at these establishments are typical German breakfast - cold meats, breads, cheese, fruit, cereal, and yogurt. But this one had BACON!!)

We headed to Heidelberg next which is a sweet little town on the Neckar river - our third river on the trip! Heidelberg also has a great castle and a really interesting history. This castle was the site of much fighting, so it is not nearly as well preserved. However, it was fascinating to see how it was built, see the history in the destruction, and hear the stories. We went on another English tour here (just as we did at Burg Eltz) and really enjoyed it!

Heidelberg castle

The castle from the opposite side of the Neckar River.

The ONLY group shot from our trip - and yes, Zee won't look.

We stayed the night at a not as memorable B&B, although the view from breakfast was nice. Then we headed to a little surprise for the kiddos! A Rodelbahn - a Sommer Rodelbahn, to be precise! Essentially, this is a roller coaster for 1-2 people that uses the simple hills of the countryside and gravity to do the work. SOOOOO fun!

And here is a video of me riding down the Rodelbahn - WARNING: could make you a little dizzy/nauseated. But I PROMISE the ride doesn't. SOOOO fun! And beautiful countryside where this was located, between Heidelberg and Rothenburg ob der Tauber.

Rodelbahn and the countryside

Right after this we headed to Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a medieval walled city that is really what you expect to see when you think of Germany and its quaint little towns. We enjoyed the Night Watchman tour (in English again!) He was very funny and kept us entertained and informed for the short 1 1/2 hour walking tour. We stayed at another cute little B&B here right in the heart of the city.