What a fun summer it has been! I am getting used to our new living quarters and it is feeling like home. I enjoy the plants in the back yard, or as the Dutch say, the “tuin” (garden), and I enjoy our neighbors. We have met the people in three or four different houses around us. The neighbor to my right has been particularly helpful and friendly. She waters my plants when I am traveling and lets me bond with her chocolate lab dog. She also arranged for my bike tire to be fixed at a local shop when I didn’t know where to turn. Such a nice neighbor.
American Visitors
We love visitors! And we have had a few this summer. It has made our time here even better! I don’t have pictures of the Pella Vermeer employees that have visited the Goes Vermeer site. I greatly enjoy those people too. I am blessed to be included on evening business suppers once in a while and get to talk to the Pella people. It is good for the heart.
Of course the summer started with my daughter, sis in law, and nieces visiting for a week. Such great memories we created! We went to Utrecht, Amsterdam, Bruge, and London. This trip started my love of London and all it has to offer.
I remember the young girls as children and miss those days, but there are benefits to them growing up and enjoying adult time!
Lyle and Mary Van Ravensway visited in June! They were traveling with the Dordt alumni choir around Europe. And when we heard they were performing in Amsterdam, we said “We are THERE!” That was such a fun Sunday in Amsterdam. We heard the beautiful choir and enjoyed a service in a catholic church.
Mary grew up in Prairie City, and her extended family has become like family to us over the years. So good to see them in the Netherlands!
June also brought Steve and Cherie Schemm to Goes! Steve works at Pella Vermeer. He and Cherie are familiar with the area and came to enjoy some Netherlands time!
Steve worked at Goes Vermeer for three years just before we arrived. He and Cherie have given us a lot of knowledge and advice about living abroad, and have become good friends. Here we are having dinner at the home of Mostafa and Niloo, other good friends of all of us! What a fun evening that was!
A Weekend In Germany!
Germany is known for it’s many castles, and I have come to love castles. We took a weekend there to tour a couple of them! It was a 3 1/2 hour drive to Wierschem, Germany, where we stayed in an Airbnb. The castles were within a 30 minutes drive of where we stayed, in different directions.
I don’t know what I thought German land might look like, but I was astonished at its beauty. We stayed in wine country, so there are many grape orchards growing on the hillsides, sometimes at a steep degree uphill! Our car rides to the castles were so enjoyable due to to scenery.
Burg Eltz Castle
Burg Eltz is located just 10 minutes from where we stayed in Wierschem. Wierschem is a very small village, less than 500 people. So the castle is their claim to fame.
Burg Eltz is still owned and operated by the descendants of the family who built it around 1157. Many years ago, the family was wise about keeping positive public relationships, which benefited them in the long run. Because most people liked them, the family was able to control travel and trade in the area, and didn’t have a lot of enemies. Only once did a rival take siege over the castle for a short time. Fortunately the castle was not damaged in WW2 since it was located out in hill country.
We had to walk 15 minutes through a wooded area to reach Burg Eltz Castle. The path was quite hilly too, so when we finally reached the end, we were winded! But we came out of the woods, turned to the left, and saw this view. So worth the walk.
This castle did not allow photos inside the building. But we did get to tour the inside as well.
Inside the castle courtyard.
If you look closely, you can see a building in the top right corner of the picture. It is being renovated right now. This is the residence of the one known enemy of Burg Eltz. In one battle, this enemy hurled steel cannonballs at Burg Eltz, which you can see piled up inside the walls of Burg Eltz in the next picture.
Reichsburg Cochem Castle
Our second castle tour was in the city of Cochem, about a 30 minute drive from where we stayed. Cochem Castle is surrounded by a larger town and enjoys a beautiful view of the Mosel River. In addition to the surrounding city bustle, it is nestled among vineyards, trees and flowers. The setup is interesting and beautiful.
Cochem Castle is on a hill, so we again were huffing and puffing by the time we reached the castle. But this time our journey uphill was surrounded by stores and private residences.
The German Reich now owns this structure. It is assumed that it was built in the year 1000 by Palantinate Count Ezzo. It was destroyed by the French in 1689, but was bought by a wealthy Berlin businessman in the mid 1800s and restored to a Neo Gothic style. He used it as a family summer home. Cochem Castle sustained some damage in WW2 from an allied forces bombing, but it was not completely destroyed.
We were allowed to take pictures inside Cochem Castle, so I have included a few of those.
Cochem Castle from the streets below.
The mural at the top of the left hand tower is of a fictional man who is thought to protect the structure.
The tower on the right side of the picture is called Witch’s Tower. When the French burned the castle in 1689, this was the only structure that wasn’t affected. The German people thought witches probably lived in the tower and protected it.
View from one of the main castle towers.
More views from the castle towers looking out. Notice how there are vineyards at the base of the castle going down the hillside.
A royal dining room. It was hard to get a great picture due to low light and the fellow tourists.
Hand painted ceiling. The detail is amazingly beautiful.
These delft tiles were also hand painted especially for the castle owner around 1868. Each tile tells a specific bible story.
View from a castle window.
An amazing ceiling in a castle meeting room.
I noticed this same lamp in Burg Eltz Castle. It is a mermaid carrying a torch. Many years ago the castle inhabitants thought the mermaid would bring good luck and protection for the castle.
Our Fabulous Airbnb
As I said earlier, our Airbnb was in the tiny village of Wierschem, where less than 500 people live. There isn’t a store of any kind in the town. But there are nearby towns with grocery stores.
When Jeremy rented the Airbnb, he knew it was a renovated barn, but the place turned out to be even better than the description.
The farm buildings were built in the 1700s, a square shaped structure with house and barn attached. In the middle is an outdoor courtyard. As you can see in the pictures, the property is dripping with history. I loved the experience of staying there.
Our Airbnb from the street. It is a corner property.
Entrance to the middle courtyard and to the door to the guest house.
View of the interior courtyard from the ground level.
Door to our guesthouse. Around the corner to the left is the front entrance to the property.
Door to the guesthouse on the right. Guests’ outdoor kitchen straight ahead.
Close up of the guests’ outdoor kitchen. We made a homemade pizza in the pizza oven.
Just inside the guesthouse door. Bathroom on the left, sauna on the right, stairs to the living quarters straight ahead.
Standing at the base of the stairs that goes to living quarters. Bathroom on right, sauna on left, front door straight ahead.
Standing on the staircase to upstairs, you can see the horse watering troughs down on the floor of the old barn.
The bed was at the top of the staircase.
The highest level, the living room. There was a sink, microwave and coffee maker in the corner, next to the window. Such a cozy room.
This is from the mini kitchen corner, looking toward the bedroom level.
One of my favorite pics. This is from the living room window of our guest house. The owners house is connected on the left. Grandma lives in the connected building on the right. And the attached structure straight across is a barn/current storage area. You can see the lovely courtyard/garden in the middle. Again, the barns and homes were attached to each other in a square shape.
Other Interesting Sights
I thought it was so interesting how the locals planted crops on steep hillsides. Most of the crops were grapes, but not all. Sometimes they built small flat areas on the hillside with retaining walls, but not always. So take notice of the “fields” on the hillsides below.
And, of course, I have to show some of the food we tried. It is the spice of life.
Can’t go to Germany without trying the schnitzel. This was different than typical schnitzel. It was shredded potatoes with either pork or fish in the center of it. It was a couple inches thick. Very good.
This is calamari before it is sliced into rings. We tried it at a restaurant with cooks from Santorini. Also good.
Some German baked goods. German bakery items aren’t exactly light and fluffy. Everything is dense and heavy. But really yummy. This is a cinnamon coffee cake on the left and a custard coffee cake on the right.
And that is the end of our German weekend. Such beautiful country with rich history. The Cochem area alone at one time had over 200 castles. Most were destroyed by the French in the 1600s. So interesting. Hopefully you find it interesting too. 🙂
I so appreciate each and every one who takes time to read about our adventures over here. I love what we are doing in the Netherlands, but some days I feel so far away from Iowa! These blogs help me feel connected to you all. Blessings to you and your coming week. Take care!
Thank you for this fantastic, beautiful tour. You could become a tour guide
Jodi,
I absolutely love your adventures!! What amazing sights, history, & yummy food!
It was a delight to read about this latest adventure!
From a fellow London/England lover!
Roxy
Jodi, thanks for sharing your experience with us, I love reading your blog!