Burg Eltz Castle

Today, we escaped to the Burg Eltz Castle, nestled deep in the forest of Wierschem, Germany...only about 2 hours from where were are currently staying. It is quite amazing what history you can find 2 hours away from your hotel. This castle was built in the 1100's, and is still standing! It is one of the only castles in Germany to be completely damage-free after the war. We took a tour of the inside, which we both felt was a rip-off for the 8 euros we had to pay to get in. However, it was really neat to see how they lived back then... we just wish we could have been set loose to explore every room! One the the 80 living rooms possessed original artwork from the 13th century of oil paintings done on panels of wood. There were 20 bathrooms, which were hang-offs so that the waste would just fall directly to the ground ( pretty clever plumbing.) Anyways, instead of taking the easy way out and parking right next to the castle, we decided to take the hike through the woods (highly recommended!) The first sight of the castle almost took our breath away! Germany, you amaze us more and more everyday!