Schloss Stolzenfels

On March 27, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Germany5 Comments

Located just outside of Koblenz, Germany, is the Stolzenfels Castle. We had taken the train from Frankfurt to Koblenz, so we had to take a taxi to get to the grounds of the castle, but it was one of the sights that we wanted to see while we were in Koblenz. The area around the castle is a park with plenty of walking trails and it is a very steep hike to make your way up to the castle itself. Needless to say, there are a lot of castles in Germany, especially along the Rhine River, but we found this one to be different than most of the others that we had seen. First of all, the walls of the castle, which was later turned into a palace, are white instead of the typical gray stones. The other thing that stands out are the spires of the cathedral that is part of the castle complex.

It is clear from the dramatic views of the river valley as to why they would have chosen this location for the castle. The castle was originally built to protect the toll station on the river collecting money from ships transporting goods through the region. Over time it was extended several times and occupied by both the French and the Swiss. It was destroyed during the Nine Years’ War and then eventually rebuilt as a palace in the 1800’s by Crownprince Frederick William IV. The gothic chapel was completed in 1845 and was visited by Queen Victoria.

The castle is open to the public and can be toured, but unfortunately for us, there were no English tours available as it was off-season and a Sunday, so tour times were limited. Even without getting to see the inside of the castle, it was well worth the strenuous hike to see the castle and the views of the Rhine Valley. The Upper Middle Rhine Valley, where Schloss Stolzenfels resides, was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2002.

Just strolling the grounds of the park is well worth the visit and seemed to be a favorite pastime of locals. One could imagine the impression of guests as the passed through the impressive guardhouse on their way up summit and the grand palace entranceway. Unfortunately we didn’t have our own horse-drawn carriage and locating a taxi to return to Koblenz turned out to be almost impossible. Fortunately, the taxi driver who had dropped us off had given us his business card and we were able to call him and have him come and get us. It took about an hour for him to arrive, but that didn’t diminish how impressed we were with Schloss Stolzenfels.

Bergpark Wilhemshöhe

On March 24, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Germany7 Comments

The very first trip that we took while staying in Germany was to the city of Kassel where we spent most of our time at the incredible Bergpark Wilhemshöhe. There are so many wonderful sights to see on the grounds of the largest European hillside park. Due to it’s size of 590 acres as well as the fact that it sprawls across a steep hill makes it a strenuous day of walking, but the views and historic sites are well worth the effort. The park is made up of four major points of interest, Schloss Wilhemshöhe, Lowenburg Castle, Hercules Statue, and the fountain and water feature that cascades down the hillside.

As you enter the sprawling estate, Schloss Wilhemshöhe looms large across the landscape as the prominent feature for anyone who enters the park. As the one-time summer home of Kaiser Wilhem II in the early 1900’s, this magnificent palace was originally built in the 12th century as a monastery and used as a castle for centuries before becoming the summer home of the aristocratic elite. There is no doubt as to the reason that this site with it’s beautiful gardens is still the site of many fairytale weddings, which was also the case on the day that we visited.

For us, the Lowenburg Castle was one of the highlights of our visit. First of all, it was the first true castle that we visited while staying in Germany. It has all of the typical features that one would expect of a castle such as the turrets and fortress walls. In order to reach the castle, you have to walk through a relatively dense forest, which certainly fosters the images of the stories of the Brother’s Grimm who came from the area and whose museum can also be found in Kassel. Walking the grounds of the castle certainly provided all of the images that we had imagined when we envisioned ourselves travelling to Germany.

Hercules Statue is certainly a site that cannot be missed. Mostly due to it’s prominent location at the top of the hill and presiding above the cascading fountain, it can be seen from throughout the park. To reach the statue itself, you must scale a long series of stairs the climb steeply up the hill. We chose not to go all of the way to the top, mostly due to the fact that we had a single day in Kassel and we were quite exhausted at this point with all of the walking that we had done through the park. It was certainly an impressive sight to see.

Unfortunately

for us, the cascading fountain was not running at the time that we visited, but it was still wonderful to see and we could imagine how impressive it must be when it is running. The thought that the statue and the cascading fountain were created in the early 1700’s is something truly hard to imagine. We can only imagine what it must have been like for the elite of Germany society to visit to walk along the grounds and see such an amazing sight.

Kassel was definitely a worthwhile location for our first exploration of Germany outside of Frankfurt. Specifically Bergpark Wilhemshöhe was truly incredible to see with everything that is located inside of this incredible UNESCO Heritage site.

A Few Days in Ireland

On February 16, 2017 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Ireland4 Comments

We had a wonderful time over the past few days visiting the land of our family ancestors. It was too short and the weather was not ideal, but the trip was very memorable despite those things. We visited several sites, which will be very special memories that we will always treasure. There is very much for us to describe and talk about, but for now, please enjoy a few pictures of our recent trip and we look forward to sharing all of the details in the coming weeks and months.