Cochem

Cochem was a fun little town that we went to in Germany with a castle that is open & has guided tours.  Not to mention some adorable little shops including a wine store that is literally a cellar under a couple shops!  They sell all kinds of wine that is made in town & in the region & other locally made liquors including Absinthe which I really wanted to get some to try but we will just have to make another trip there! There was also a vinegar store!  If you are anything like me you are thinking "Vinegar...really?"  and yes really!  They make all kinds of infused vinegars like strawberry, blueberry, rhubarb, peach, pomegranate, and several others!  They also sold different types of mustard's.  I tried a peach mustard that was actually pretty fantastic!  They make homemade bruschetta spreads like a mango brushcetta that you just add some water to.  Those were fantastic also!  We didn't buy anything in these stores so I am sure we will be going there again!

Driving into Cochem this was one of the views of the castle.

We had to walk up to the castle which is great because the roads are super narrow, however,  they were STEEP!  This picture doesn't do it justice at all! It wasn't a short walk either!  I had to stop a couple of times to use my inhaler!

This picture gives you a little bit better idea of how steep it was! The tower on the left is where we were headed & the road was just to the right of the tree that went straight up!!  Oh and the stuff in front of us are grapevines!  There are vineyards on the side of mountains & hills like this all over Germany it is kind of incredible!

This wall has a mural of Saint Christopher which a lot of people say is why the Castle has survived in such great condition for so long!

A view of the town from the entrance of the castle

Julie & me!  Check out the gargoyle behind us!

The part that is a different color is sad to be completely original!  The castle is very old but no one knows for sure how old.  The first mentioning of Burg Cochem dates back to the year 1000!

This was a tunnel that monks used to use to secretly transport alcohol to & from town!  Also for the residents to escape whenever it was under attack! It was a secret passage of course & the door when closed even blends into the wall so only a handful of people knew it was there!  It was in a room called the ladies parlor & our guide said that sometime mistresses would use it to come & go in the night as well!

This was a light that is said to be cursed!  It is a mermaid with antlers coming out of its back and legend has it that if you touch the belly & make a wish it will come true!! Notice how worn the spot on the belly is!!  They allow you to make a wish on it as you pass through the room!

This was the game room!!  Not what we think of these days as a game room!  We had to take a picture of this wild hog for our BIL who is a die hard Razorbacks fan!!!

Bear skin rug!  Yes it is real and our guide said it it a few hundred years old!

This was the Knights Hall where the knights would be able to hang out & have pints & play games & what not!

Suits of armor.  The big one was 7ft tall & belonged to the head knight!  

I forgot to mention that this tower is also called the witches tower!

This was the restaurant our tour guide recommended to us.  It was so good!  Schnitzle, pommes, Hefeweizen, Salat, & some amazing tomatensuppe.  Alte Thorshenke is the name & it is attached to a hotel of the same name!  So if you ever come visit we will be doing you an injustice not to take you here!!

Julie & me being silly trying on some funky hats!

Cochem has been by far my favorite place we have explored so far!  I can not wait to go back & I can not wait to have people visit us so we can take them there!!