Staying in a Castle and Fireworks, Fireworks, Fireworks

Christmas in a Castle

Our 2nd year in Germany, and our first christmas spent in Germany. What a better way to follow up last Christmas in Rome, with a night in a romantic castle from the 10th Century sitting above the Rhine river? 

Less than a 90 min drive from home, we pulled off the autobahn and onto a smaller road that took us along the Rhine River. The small towns along the river sit at the base of tall steep hills, covered in vineyards and row after row of wine grapes. Every km or so, there is another castle, on both sides of the wide river. The castles lie in various states, from ruins to beautifully kept ones. The last 30 minutes of the drive was amazing and made us very excited to see our castle.

The drive up to Burg Schoenburg was steep, but the views were amazing. At the top, the final 100m were on foot up a steep stone walk. Tiffany scaled the hill with no problems and we were rewarded with an amazing view of the valley and river below. We admired the courtyards of the castle as we walked around to check in. Once inside we were lead up to our amazing room for the night. The room was covered in rich dark woods, antique books and even had a secret door that lead out to our "balcony" and walk around the top of the castle.

We explored the castle and settled into the library for a coffee and pastry, relaxing and enjoying the beautiful, antique setting. Back in the room we explored along the top of the castle, and relaxed a little before getting ready for dinner. The dinner that awaited us promised to be amazing from the look of the special holiday menu.

The meal didn't disappoint, from the opening venison ragout, to the veal carpaccio, the amazing duck, and the decadent desserts. The food was spectacular, easily one of the best meals we've had in Europe. Each course left you excited for the next, but wanting more. The homemade pistachio ice cream and chocolate souffle was a great way to cap off the meal. 

The next morning, we were treated to a delicious european breakfast overlooking the valley. The cozy and relaxing setting was a nice way to finish off our short, but relaxing and romantic christmas in a castle overlooking the Rhine. The short drive home brought us back to Oliver after a memorable and wonderful trip.

Fireworks in Frankfurt

Our first New Years in Germany! Well technically our 2nd, but last year we were in Paris under the Eiffel Tower when the clock struck midnight. This year's adventure took us up to Frankfurt, a city I have never explored and one that Tiffany enjoyed exploring during the night at the museums while i was away.

Our dinner was at a small cozy Indian restaurant in the heart of the city. Driving in, it reminded me of Richmond; entering over a river and driving between tall buildings. Architecture was both modern and renovated historical buildings, all-in-all it felt like home immediately. The restaurant was lit by candles, and sounds of relaxing music gently filled the air. Smells of incredible indian food filled our nostrils as we both ordered Mango Lasi (a cool, sweet yogurt based drink) to start our meal. The menu was pre-fix and I wasn't 100% sure what was included, but we both opted for the Lamb Curry and began the culinary adventure.

Our first course came out with a selection of incredible appetizers, including fried cauliflower, samosas and the thin, crispy, lentil bread. Next came the incredible lamb in a deep red curry sauce along with rice, lots of Naan and the accompanying sauces. It had been since we were in Berlin in March that we had Indian food, so this meal was particularly welcomed and delicious. For dessert we had no idea what our options were, so we got 1 of each with plans to share them. One was a donut-like pastry soaked in a sugary syrup, the other was a rice pudding, i think was spiced with cardamom (?). They were both really tasty, and very unique.

After dinner, we headed down to the banks of the river, that ran right through the city. We had heard of the midnight fireworks display and wanted to be right in the middle of the action. After touring the city by car, we found a spot to park along museum row and began our walk towards a particularly popular bridge. Underneath thee bridge was a bar, so we dropped in, found a place to sit down and a bathroom to use. I ordered a local Pilsner and got Tiff a cranberry juice and we sat back and relaxed as the sights and sounds of fireworks began outside. As we got closer to midnight, the bar became more and more packed, and the frequency of fireworks outside picked up considerably.

We ventured outside around 11:30, as the crowds grew and fireworks started going off almost constantly. We positioned ourselved by the bridge, with a great view of the river, both banks and the bridge. Then around 11:45, the fireworks started to go off non-stop. There were no official fireworks, just those bought and brought by the spectators. As midnight approached the pace started picking up and it was just like Washington DC on the 4th of July! There were fireworks going off everywhere! As midnight got even closer, we made our way down the now-closed street in front of museum row and back towards our car. For 45 solid minutes there were fireworks going off everywhere, at the same pace as the finale of a 4th of July show. It was incredible, the streets filled with people, the fireworks everywhere. As the insanity died down a little, we packed back into our car and began heading for home. Streets were closed all over the place and those that were open were covered in debris and fires from fireworks. We found our way back to the Autobahn and on our way back home.

The night was one of amazing food, beautiful company and lots of fun ringing in 2013.

Until our next adventure,

David, Tiffany and Oliver!