I’m blogging about my 60th Birthday Trip back to Germany last June. I’m up to Day 9, which was Wednesday, June 19. I had spent the afternoon driving over the hills and through the meadows to Burg Montfort, where I roamed around and took lots of pictures.
My plan after Burg Montfort included another favorite restaurant that had been closed on Monday and Tuesday – Falkensteinerhof. But Falkensteinerhof was just a bit up the road from a favorite castle, Burg Falkenstein.
I thought I was clever to come to Falkensteinerhof from the north, instead of taking the road between our former homes and the castle. Because that particular road has a 25% grade. My husband had always been the driver when we drove that ridiculously steep road, and even that way, it gave me the willies. The village of Falkenstein (“Falcon-stone”) is on the south side of the largest mountain in the area, the Donnersberg. So on my trip in June, I approached from the north and went up the side of the mountain more gradually, instead of driving straight up to the castle. There are small roads that encircle the Donnersberg, so I was also planning to go back to the hotel after taking in more of the mountain, going around the back side – and avoiding that 25% grade.
I’m a little sad that Burg Falkenstein was our Castle #2 instead of Castle #1. When we first moved to Germany, we were in billeting at Ramstein Air Force Base for three weeks – so the first castle we visited, Burg Nanstein, was closer to Ramstein. Burg Falkenstein was closer to Sembach Air Force Base, the base where my husband was actually stationed (and where I worked at the library), and only about twenty minutes from our homes.
So – when we had visitors from America, who were inevitably jet lagged – a perfect first night activity was to take them to dinner at Falkensteinerhof and then walk over to the castle and roam around the castle, taking in the view. It didn’t involve much driving, didn’t have to take long, and tired people could enjoy it. And visitors from America always think it’s pretty cool to roam around a castle built in 1135 AD.
The restaurant, Falkensteinerhof, has changed hands in the 18 years since we lived there. Now it seems to cater to backpackers and hikers on the Donnersberg. Instead of wait service, you pick up your own food from a counter. It was still very cloudy, and looked like it might rain, so I didn’t eat out on the balcony, but I did choose a table overlooking the big windows.
I had one of those delicious German salads where they don’t toss all the ingredients together, but you find goodies each in a section of their own.
After I finished eating, I was invited to stay and watch World Cup Soccer on the big screen TV that people were gathering for, and I was tempted (that would have reminded me of our last year in Germany), but I still wanted to roam around the castle and get to my hotel before dark. Since dark doesn’t happen in June until about 10 pm, I still had plenty of time, but it might be awkward to leave before the game ended. So next stop was a few hundred yards down the road to Burg Falkenstein. (I drove because although the distance is short, it, too, is steep to walk – though not the 25% grade.)
Burg Falkenstein really did get my nostalgia going again. I can’t even tell you how many times we visited this castle. As I mentioned, it was our favorite place to bring visitors on their first night in Germany. This stone at the front, declaring it was built in 1135, seriously impressed me when we were new to Germany and first saw it. As an American, I’m not used to 850-year-old buildings!
The entrance is a little spooky. I think the cannon is new, though. (I’ll have to check my old pictures.)
And then, as always, wonderful shapes in the ruins.
And, oh, the view from that back wall!
There’s the village of Falkenstein below us. (The 25% grade road goes through the village.)
Looking south, this is pretty typical landscape for that region of Germany, but up on the side of the Donnersberg, you can see far.
Our landlady told us a story of why there was a bell tower without a church in Falkenstein. I think it had to do with there was a Catholic church in the village, so this bell tower was for the Protestants? (I could be totally wrong about that.)
Donkeys!
Sheep!
This is the back way out of the castle:
This wall at Burg Falkenstein is an icon in my heart. Now I’m outside at its base, looking up.
Walking around the side of the castle back to the front.
This informative sign comes when you’re almost done. Some day, I’ll try to figure out how it fits onto the parts we roam around.
The amphitheater at the front used to host performances in the summer (though we never did attend one). At this point in our castle tours, our kids would play Three Billy Goats Gruff with the bridge. Usually Daddy would be the troll.
So then I drove the back way around the Donnersberg – more beautiful roads I’d driven many times – and back to Waldhotel Heller in Elmstein, where I was still in time for leisurely reading on my balcony and a beautiful sunset.
