Castles, Castles Everywhere

Heading north on the Rhine from Koblenz, it seems like there is a castle every few miles, located high on the hill carefully watching us slide up the river.



We learned most housed the "robber-barons" who exacted a toll from boats using the river. It was a very expensive trip for 12th and 13th century  merchants. Some protested the extortion by atracking the castles and the French really took castle destruction to heart in the late 1700's. Most of the castles were destroyed and rebuilt in the 18th and 19th centuries.


The Moselle (right) meets the Rhine at Kolblenz


An exception was the Burg Eltz castle that was actually a family home and is owned today by a 33rd generation family member. We enjoyed  an informative tour of the castle passing miles of farmland and forest to get there. Many of the furnishings were period pieces from the family and the castle contained several original works of art.


Burg Eltz Castle


On our final day of sailing, we got a tour of the wheelhouse. The young captain explained all the electronics and answered all of our questions in very good English. Gala dinner tonight followed by packing for the next phase of the trip.

View from Lafayette wheelhouse. 

Tour guide Luka holds the key to the castle.




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