Bacharach

I'm really glad we came to Germany a few days before our guided tour. It was nice to explore on our own. We definitely took advantage our our first full day in Germany and visited some sites along the Rhine River.

There are several castles littered along the Rhine (left behind from historic feudal times). The most well preserved ones are built just below the the mountain tops. When Napoleon raided Germany, he destroyed all of the castles he could find on his way. The ones that were easiest to see were built at the top of the mountain.

Our first destination was a fallen (and preserved) castle grounds. It turns out there was a whole community within the walls of the castle. We had the opportunity to crawl through the escape tunnels beneath the castle grounds. Unfortunately, we only made it a few feet and then we decided to abort our mission. It was pitch black the tunnels and we could barely fit on hands and knees. We also forgot our flashlights...

Next on the list was the romantic city of Bacarach - seemingly pronounced "ba-hahaa."  Very picturesque and fantasy-like. I love the exposed wood.