C & C globetrotting around the world…

We went on a tour to visit friends in the Duesseldorf-Koeln-Bonn region and also saw some wonderful castles. Burg Eltz was on the list of things Christoph wanted to show Cecilia for a long time, so now was the perfect time. From from parking lot we took a 20-minute walk through the woods to reach the castle. When you emerge from the woods and see it’s beauty, it feels like a fairy tale. Burg Eltz (“Eltz Castle”) is a medieval castle nestled in the hills above the Moselle River between Koblenz and Trier. It is still owned by a branch of the same family that lived there in the 12th century, 33 generations ago. Luckily, due to the family’s strategic allegiances, the castle was never destroyed. It is situated on a 70m rock spur, on an important Roman trade route between rich farmlands and their markets. This castle is divided into several parts, which belong to different branches of the same family. About 100 members of the owners’ families lived in the over 100 rooms of the castle. Because the huge rock is the foundation of the castle, the castle and its rooms sometimes have unusual shapes. We did a guided tour through the beautiful castle. The tour guide was really really good in explaining the history and also some expressions from the Middle Ages.

From there we drove through bright yellow canola fields and reached Abtei Maria Laach (“Maria Laach Abbey”). It is a Benedictine abbey on the shores of the Laach Lake. The Laach Lake is a caldera lake which was formed 12,900 years ago after an eruption more powerful than the one of Mount Pinatubo in 1991.  The Abbey was founded in 1093 as a priory of Affligem Abbey (in modern Belgium) by Henry II of Laach of the House of Luxembourg. Laach became an independent house in 1127, under its first abbot, Gilbert. The abbey developed as a centre of study during the 12th century. The 13th-century abbots added significantly to the buildings and architectural decoration, including the monumental tomb of the founder. The abbey structure dates from between 1093 and 1177 and is considered a prime example of Romanesque architecture of the Staufen period. Despite its long construction time, the well-preserved basilica with its six towers is considered to be one of the most beautiful Romanesque buildings in Germany. We watched a movie about the daily life of the monks there and also visited the rich gardens they have. The monks have a hotel where people can come to spend some reflexion time, have the garden where they sell plants, they brew alcohol and they make many different things, such as candles and art.

We arrived at Walter and Petra’s place in Monheim (on the Rhine, between Cologne and Duesseldorf) and it was nice to see him again. For dinner we went to an all-you-can-eat sushi place in Koeln and it was delicious. We were all so hungry that the first 20 minutes nobody talked, we just stuffed our faces. Then we started being more selective in what we take and started chatting, but it was so nice to eat sushi again! The next day, Walter showed us where they will be having their wedding and gave us some info since Christoph will be his “Best Man”. We then went to the Neanderthal Museum in Mettmann, which was really interesting and well made. Located at the site of the first Neanderthal man discovery in the Neandertal, it features an exhibit centered on human evolution. In the evening Petra came back from a business trip and we spent a relaxing evening together. The next day we met Petra’s “Maid of Honour” and helped assemble the invitations before leaving.

We drove to Swisttal where Anne and Christian live. We were happy to see them again and meet their adorable son Johann. The next day we headed to “Drachenfels” (“Dragon’s Rock”) close to the Rhine river. Several legends surround the Drachenfels, the most famous being the one which recounts that Siegfried – the hero of the Nibelungenlied – killed the dragon Fafnir living in a cave in the mountain, then bathed in its blood to become invulnerable. About a third of the way up the mountain is the “Nibelungenhalle”, built in 1913, a gallery of paintings by the symbolist painter Hermann Hendrich depicting scenes from Richard Wagner’s operas. At the top of the mountain was the “Drachenfelsburg” (“Castle of the Dragon’s Rock”) with a nice, albeit hazy view of the Rhine. The castle was built atop the mountain in the 12th century by the Archbishop of Cologne and was intended for the protection of the Cologne region from any assault from the South. The castle was damaged during the Thirty Years’ War and never rebuilt. Erosion due to the continued quarrying undermined much of the remains and only a small part is left today. The quarry also delivered the building material of the Cathedral in Cologne (Koelner Dom). In 1956 the site was declared a national park. On the way down we passed Schloss Drachenburg, a neogothic castle built in 1882. Drachenfels is sometimes called “the highest mountain of Holland” due to its popularity among Dutch tourists. The descent was very steep and difficult, especially with the baby carriage, but Johann slept almost the entire time. We had lunch in Koenigswinter by the Rhine riverside and it was nice because the sun came out. We drove home, passing many white asparagus plantations, and then chilled in the sun on their terrace while sipping a cappuccino and playing with Johann before driving back home after a wonderful week-end.