Jon was home for 3 days before he went back to training. We took advantage of the BEAUTIFUL weather and went for a lovely trip along the Rhine River. Both Jon and I love castles. So, after doing a little bit of research of castles we wanted to see, we both decided we wanted to tour the Marksburg Castle.
Located about 10 kilometers south of Koblenz, the Marksburg castle is one of the only castles along the middle Rhine that has never been bombed or destroyed. It has also never been breached or over-taken due to its location and their fortifications. I borrowed this picture from the web because this pic truly captures its magnificence. If you would like to know some more history about the castle, follow this link http://www.marksburg.de/english/frame.htm.
A pic Jon took while looking up at the castle while waiting for the tour to begin. We were able to have an English tour guide and only have about 8 people total in our group. We seriously lucked out. Most German groups had 20-30 people.
The Rhine river. Notice the train tracks that run somewhat parallel to the river.
Me looking at the AWESOME view. It was funny to see the cruise ship with all of the people looking up (with their cameras) and taking pictures. I wanted to strike a pose for them...:)
Jon, the stoic one.
Jon was drooling and able to answer a lot of the tour guide's questions about the weaponry.
An entrance to the only heated bedroom in the castle. As you can see, they didn't like tall giants back in their day.
A seriously teeny bed. The tour guide said that in medieval times, people were afraid to fall asleep lying completely down. Instead they sat up and slept. So that is one reason why this bed is so small.
The bathroom located directly behind the dining room table. The guide said that it would have been considered rude to exclude someone from the conversation, so they would leave the door open while someone went to relieve themselves during dinner....EWW!Also, their plumbing back then consisted of a hole, a chute, and an area below where people avoided walking under at all costs...unless they wanted an unpleasant surprise.
I would be scared of this guy if he charged at me with that huge sword!
This helmet creeps me out. I don't know why, but those horns...yikes. Definitely used to scare or intimidate the enemy.
I must have felt the need to be channel some medieval warrior flair while this picture was taken.Overall, it was an awesome day excursion. Jon will be home in a little over a week. We're looking forward to many more adventures now that the weather is better!
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