If your visiting the Eagle’s Nest make sure to check out the Luge Sommerrodelbahn at Alpengasthof Hochlenzer which is super close, just follow the rodelbahn signs. It was about 2 km away and worth the quick stop for some fun before heading to the salt mines in Austria. It was neat for us because it was our first toboggan style rodelbahn experience.
Prices are per ride (€2,50 adult, €2 kids) or [Read more…]
The Eagles Nest (Kehlsteinhaus) in Berchtesgaden, Germany was one of the top sites we visited on our trip to Bavaria in June 2015! Truthfully I was iffy about going or not and almost didn’t go, I did tons of research, talked to people who had been and we ended up deciding that if it was clear (a requirement for it being worth it) we didn’t want to pass up the opportunity and regret it, and I’m SO [Read more…]
If your in the Garmisch area making a stop at Kind Ludwig’s Linderhof Palace is a great way to spend a few hours. I have found many people say that Linderhof is better than Neuschwanstin and overall I’d have to say that I agree. While both are much too gaudy for my liking I think the Linderhof experience offers more bang for your buck.
Know that there are tours offered throughout the day in several [Read more…]
If your in the Garmsich, Germany area you should make sure to stop by and visit the Partnach Gorge, it was one of our favorite stops during our trip! Our group ranged from 11 to 50+ and all enjoyed the gorge.
Parking is down by Olympic Stadium, and a recommend a quick pop in there to see the ski jump, it’s free to take a look and photos. The parking was €5.
It’s a good 20-25 min walk to the gorge [Read more…]
If your looking for the fairy tale castle that inspired Walt Disney’s Cinderella castle then Neuschwanstein Castle is it! While this is probably one of the most famous castles in Germany and it is impressive it’s very gaudy and by far not our favorite. The story about King Ludwig is quite fascinating though! We actually visited this castle in 2004 and went back several weeks ago with my mom and niece.
This [Read more…]
Remember my recent post about Highline 179 the amazing suspension bridge in Austria? Here you can also find Ehrenberg Castle Ruins! These are great ruins to explore and a great stop on your drive to the Garmisch area. Don’t miss trying to pull the sword out of the stone here!
There is lots of parking available, you pay for it at one of the automated boxes. There is also a castle playground if your traveling with little ones. You can also find a museum in the shop that you can get a combo ticket for. We had just planned on doing the ruins and my mom and rest of my family did the bridge while I waited with Bea, since I’d done it before and she’s not a fan of heights. There are restrooms in the building next to the shop.
Know that it’s a good 15-20 min hike up to the ruins and the bridge. We did it in 15 minutes to the base of the ruins, then you still have to climb up the steep path to the ruins. There’s a bench to take a quick break if needed.
Signs are displayed with information, there is an English version as well.
These looming ruins are just a glimpse of what is left of Ehrenburg.
The sword in the stone is easy to miss because it’s down in the stone, you can only see the handle until you start pulling! It’s right in front of the round tower, so just look for that and you’ll find it.
We all had fun giving it a try and posing for photos.
Don’t miss the scenic views available from several spots in the ruins.
We had a great time exploring these ruins, and the views were amazing as well! I highly suggest you make a stop here and check out! If your into hiking there are several other ruins that you can explore as well. One is higher up from Ehrenberg and the other is across the bridge.
Know Before You Go
What: Highline Ehrenberg Ruins in Reutte, Austria.
How To Get There: It’s about 5 hours 30 mins from the Spangdahlem, 4 hours 30 mins from Ramstein and 45 mins from Garmisch. GPS addy: Klause 2, 6600 Reutte
Parking: there is quite a bit of parking, you buy a parking ticket from one of the machines.
Cost: Free to wander the ruins, there is a fee if you’d like to cross the suspension bridge (link in post above) or visit the museum.
Traveling with little kids: You can use a stroller on the walk up if needed, although it it a bit of a steep climb. It cannot be used in the ruins area due to the stairs, etc.
Dogs: Are allowed
How long: Plan on at least an hour to walk up and down to check out the ruins, more if you want to cross the bridge as well.
If your heading to Cologne (Köln) you need to check out the Cologne Cathedral (Köln Dom) there. It’s quite impressive and worth the visit. There is also a lock bridge only a 5 minute walk behind the Dom as well.
There is lots of parking in the parking garage under the Cathedral and walkplatz. And NO it is NOT hard to drive in Cologne to get there, I see people say that all the time. I’m not a [Read more…]
August Things To Do Around Spangdahlem has lots of interesting things to go see during this month. Some of the most popular one are the Wittlich Pig Festival and the Hot Air Balloon Festival! Again these are generally no more than 3 hours away, although I may throw in one or two further away ones if I think that they are something to consider.
There are Things To Do for everyone! Some include Medieval Festivals, Wine festivals, Hot Air Balloons, Pig Festivals, Elivs, & more! There has got to be one that you will find interesting and want to check out!
I’ve also included a printable file at the bottom so that you can print it out and easily see what is going on. Some of the events are this weekend so if you don’t get to them this year you can always add them to your list for next year. I’ll also be blogging about the ones that we get to visit so check back and see if they are worth taking a trip to.
Below is a list of upcoming Things To Do, please note many of the websites are in German only so use Google Chrome and it will translate the page for you. It will include the festival, website, dates, and how far from Spangdahlem & Ramstein.
Vianden Medieval Festival – in Vianden, Luxembourg July 25th-Aug 2rd
Medieval festival with entertainment, food, and fun. Website has more info.
Approximately 48 minutes from Spangdahlem, 1 hour 56 mins from Ramstein.
http://www.castle-vianden.lu/festival-historique-2015/index.html
Castle Festival – in Cochem, Germany August 1st-2nd
A medieval festival at Reichsburg complete with jugglers, merchants, reenacted battles and more! More info on website
Approximately 50 mins from Spangdahlem, 1 hour 45 mins from Ramstein
http://www.burg-cochem.de/burgfest.html?&L=1
Apple Wine Festival – in Frankfurt, Germany August 7th-16th
Apple wine, music, vendors, and merchandise, website has more info.
Approximately 2 hours from Spangdahlem, 1 hour 45 mins from Ramstein.
http://www.frankfurt-tourismus.de/en/Media/Events/Frankfurt-Apple-Wine-Festival
Streeta(rt)nimation – in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg August 8th – 9th
Check out the mimes, musicians, tumblers and more as you stroll through the city, more info on website
Approximately 57 from Spangdahlem, 1 hour 35 mins from Ramstein
http://www.visitluxembourg.com/en/place/specialevents/streeta-rt-nimation
Schuberfouer – in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg August 21st – September 9th
Huge fair that was originally started in 1340, more info on website
Approximately 57 from Spangdahlem, 1 hour 35 mins from Ramstein
http://www.visitluxembourg.com/en/place/specialevents/schueberfouer
Mosel Ballon Fiesta – in Föhren, Germany August 14th-15th
Hot air balloons and family fun, see website for more info and map to location
Approximately 35 minutes from Spangdahlem, 1 hour from Ramstein.
http://www.moselballonfiesta.de
We checked this out last year you can read about it HERE
Wittlich Pig Festival – in Wittlich, Germany August 14th-18th
There will be rides, parade, food, music and more! See the website for program details.
Approximately 18 minutes from Spangdahlem, 1 hour 10 mins from Ramstein.
http://saeubrenner.wittlich.de/
We tried this our last year you can read about it HERE
Historical Burgenfest – in Manderschied, Germany August 29th-30th
Medieval festival with food, tumblers, jousting, fire eaters, and much more! Website has more details.
Approximately 27 minutes from Spangdahlem, 1 hour 23 mins from Ramstein.
http://www.burgenfest.info/englisch.htm
This was a fun festival we visited last year, read about it HERE
European Elvis Festival – in Bad Nauheim, Germany August 14th-16th
Concerts, cadillac parade, markets and more! More info on website
Approximately 2 hours 24 mins from Spangdahlem, 1 hour 50 mins from Ramstein
https://www.bad-nauheim.com/culture/elvis-european-home/european-elvis-festival.html
Backfischfest – in Worms, Germany August 29th – September 6th
Wine & folk festival with Fish, fireworks, fair and more! More info on website
Approximately 2 hours from Spangdahlem, 55 mins from Ramstein
http://www.backfischfest.de/backfischfest/index.php
The printable has the list of the 10 festivals/events that are within 3 hours or less from Spangdahlem, download it HERE **PLEASE NOTE the dates for the Schuberfouer & Streeta(rt)nimation are not correct on the printable so keep that in mind.
We will be checking out the some of these, I’m excited about crossing some of them off our list! If you know of a great festival that I missed that you think should be added please email me or leave a comment 🙂 I’d also love to hear your experience if you get a chance to visit any of the festivals!
The Chocolate Museum in Cologne, Germany (also known as Schokoladenmuseum in Köln, Germany) is great family fun and something that everyone will enjoy for a day trip! It’s much more than a museum and you get to see the chocolates being made! And best of all it’s Lindt chocolate, so we’re talking about top quality chocolate as well! We have done the Ritter Sport Chocolate Museum near Stuttgart and [Read more…]
Reading Between the Lines is a fascinating church sculpture created by Gijs Van Vaerebergh in Borgloon, Belgium. It’s not worth making a special trip out there for BUT it’s only 15 mins from Tongeren where many people go to shop the Sunday Flea Market (post coming soon) so a great addition to that trip.
First let me say this, this sculpture is NOT a full sized church building, I think many people [Read more…]