As I walked through the doors to Eltz Castle, I felt like I was stepping into a Disney movie. It reminded me of the castle in Sleeping Beauty and also Hogwarts from Harry Potter. I would love to have thrown on a ballgown and taken a picture in front of this castle…maybe next time!
Burg Eltz is definitely one of the most magical castles in all of Germany. It is also one of the best preserved castles in the world. It’s hidden deep in the forest, and you can even take a magical walk through the forest to reach the castle. The castle is over 850 years old and has been in the Eltz family for more than 30 generations.
The prime period of castle construction was from the 11th to the 13th century. It was constructed in a strategically important position along the most important trade route in the German Empire. Burg Eltz was also never destroyed or overtaken. You can read all about the castle’s history here!
Burg Eltz: What to Know Before You Go
The castle is only open from April 1-November 1. You can visit the castle any time of the year, but it is only open for tours during these months. I would love to come back in the winter. It is open for tours from 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., seven days a week. I suggest getting there early before the tours start to have the castle all to yourself. There are German and English tours every 10-15 minutes and they last about 40 minutes as they take you through this magical castle.
The castle is hidden deep in the forest, and from the parking area you can either take a shuttle bus up to the castle or hike through the forest. There is also a small hike that goes along the same route as the shuttle bus, and I suggest that route on the way up to get some beautiful pictures along the way. I would then take the hike though the forest on the way back. The parking cost 2 euros and the shuttle bus also costs 2 euros each way.
Once you reach the castle, there is an admission fee to enter the castle and take the tour. Adults are 11 euro, children 7 euro, and the family card(2 adults and 2 or more children) 30 euro.
Exploring Burg Eltz
Once you enter the castle doors, you are ready to experience one of the most enchanting castles in Europe. You will take a walk around the castle to begin your tour. There are amazing views from the castle walls. You will then enter the inside walls of the castle as you wait for your tour to begin. The tour takes about 40 minutes. You are not allowed to take pictures inside the castle, but my favorite was the bed that was built in 1520. I also loved the beautiful windows and seating areas that opened up to the gorgeous views of the surrounding forest.
At the end of the tour, you can also explore the Burg Eltz Castle Treasury. Here you will find so many neat artifacts and antiques from the castle over the years. After exploring the castle, you can stop for a bite to eat. There are two restaurants where you can stop and relax and take in the views from the castle. We did not stop to eat but I have heard the food is delicious. There is also a cute little souvenir shop full of all kinds of medieval items to remember your time at the castle.
If you find yourself in Germany, you must visit this beautiful and enchanting castle for yourself. Take a step back in time, and enjoy learning about the history of this castle. I hope you find it as magical as I did!
As soon as the travel restrictions were lifted a little, we decided to take the short road trip to Heidelberg. After being required to stay at home for almost 2 months, it felt so good to get out and explore. Nestled on the banks of the Neckar River, Heidelberg is one of the most romantic and beautiful German towns. This 17th century German town is only about an hour south of Frankfurt. Heidelberg University, the oldest and most prestigious university in Germany, is located in this gorgeous city. Tourists flock to this charming town because of its rich history and beautiful landscape.
Heidleberg is a fairy tale town with cobblestone streets lined with shops and cafes. As we drove into the city, there were so many couples and families having picnics along the river bank. It was a gorgeous spring day and all the flowers were blooming everywhere.
Schloss Heidelberg
The highlight of our trip was the Heidelberg Castle. The castle sits high above the city and from the top there is the most amazing view of the city. One of the most romantic castles in Germany, the magnificent sandstone ruins of this castle showcase the history of German romanticism.
Several wars and fires contributed to the castle falling into ruins. The Friedrich and Ottheinrich buildings are some of the best-persevered structures on the castle grounds. The castle gardens were constructed around 1616 and were regarded as a masterpiece of their time. The gardens are built upon several terraces and contain flower beds, mazes, arbors, sculptures, ponds, and beautiful trees.
I suggest taking a walking tour of the castle to learn more about its history and legends.
Heidelberg Tun
The Heidelberg Tun is the worlds’s largest wine barrel. It was built in 1751 to house all the wine paid as taxes by the wine growers in the region. There was a dwarf that guarded the wine, and he was known for his ability to drink a lot of wine. Legend has it that he died when he mistakenly drank a glass of water.
Apothecary Museum
Located in the Ottheinrichsbau Building, the Apothecary Museum allows visitors to learn about the pharmacy and dispensaries they used back then. It takes you back in time as you learn about the types of medicines, potions, and remedies they used a long time ago.
Explore the Old Town in Heidelberg
Take a walk through Alstadt, or Old Town, and take a step back in time. Here you will find Hauptstrasse, the longest pedestrian walkway in Europe. Old Town is beautiful with lots of shops, cafes, book stores, and ice cream shops. There is definitely something for everyone here. You can also take a walking tour and learn more about the history and architecture of the city. In the heart of Alstadt is Marktplatz, the city’s historic main square. This is where Heidelberg’s annual Christmas Market is located.
The Old Bridge
The Old Bridge is a beautiful arch bridge. The view of it from the castle is amazing. It connects the old and new parts of Heidelberg. They also offer cruises along the river, which is a great way to see the city. It is said that Mark Twain spent a lot of time here, and was the inspiration for Huckleberry Finn.
The Christmas Market
If you are lucky enough to visit Heidelberg during the holiday season, you must visit the Christmas market. During this time, Heidelberg is transformed into a beautiful Christmas wonderland. It is spread over five beautiful and historic market squares with over 140 individual stalls. There is also an ice skating rink that sits below the castle and is truly a magical experience with the lights and Christmas music. I can’t wait to go back and experience the Christmas market this holiday season!
If you are in Germany. you must visit the magical town of Heidelberg!
When looking for the perfect place in Germany to spend our anniversary, I came across the magical town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber. As soon as we entered the walled city of Rothenburg, I felt like Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Rothenburg reminds me of a fairy tale storybook in real life. This tiny village is in southern Germany along the “Romantic Road”, which is a route through Germany that takes you to beautiful castles and villages.
This medieval village is surrounded by its original protective wall from the 12th century. The city is also the inspiration for several movies like Harry Potter (which my boys thought was so cool), Pinocchio, and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. When you first enter the walls of the city, it feels like you have stepped back in time. There are colorful half-timbered houses, shops, cafes and hotels lined up with cute little signs.
WHERE TO STAY
There are so many cute little hotels inside Rothenburg. It was hard to choose the perfect one, but I absolutely loved Hotel Reichskuchenmeister. It is one of the oldest houses in Rothenburg built in the 12th century. In 1540 the future Emperor Ferdinand I stayed in this house and in 1546 Emperor Charles V. It is in the perfect location in the center of the city and perfect for an overnight stay in Rothenburg. The rooms are historic and decorated with the cutest antique decor. You can even open your window and look out over the beautiful city. From the hotel, it is only a short walk to everything in the city. I also recommend eating here. There is a beautiful outside seating area that is perfect for lunch or a beautiful evening dinner.
WHAT TO SEE AND DO
I was so surprised at how much there was to do in this little village. My favorite thing to do was walk around and get lost down all the cute alley ways lined with colorful houses. It truly felt like taking a step back in time. There are so many cute shops and cafes!
You can also walk the entire wall of the city. The view from the top is amazing. Colt loved looking though the little holes where they used to shoot arrows when under attack. There is also a Crime and Justice Museum where you can see all the Medieval weapons and what they did to people that broke the law.
Christmas is everywhere in Rothenburg. We definitely want to come back and enjoy the big Christmas market they have here. They also have a German Christmas Museum and a Kathe Wohlfahrt Christmas store. I found the perfect ornament for our tree this year!
There are also several guided tours you can take and learn about the history of the city. We were hoping to go on the Night Watchman’s tour, but it was cancelled that evening. You can join the Watchman as he makes his nighttime rounds. Listen to his tales and catch a glimpse of how people lived a long time ago.
I also suggest checking out the gorgeous St. James Church. This beautiful cathedral was constructed in 1485, and the stained-glass windows and amazing architecture are not to be missed.
And Finally, after all the walking, stop and get a famous Rothenburg snowball! Also know as a Schneeball! We joked about getting one the entire trip! There are also lots of cafes to choose from that offer a variety of food and wine.
WHERE TO EAT
Since it was our anniversary, I decided to book one of the most romantic places to dine in Europe. The Cellar Room at Zur Holl, which dates back to 900. This medieval wine tavern is in the town’s oldest original buildings. They serve amazing German food and a great selection of Franconian wines.
If you come to Germany, you must visit Rothenburg. It is like being in a fairy tale! I can’t wait to visit during Christmas and experience the Christmas market!
After finding out that we would be moving from Okinawa, Japan to Germany, we knew we had to take one last trip in Asia on our way to Germany. What better place than our favorite place in Asia…Thailand! We decided to try someplace new and Koh Samui was exactly what we were looking for. We wanted a place where we could relax in our own villa but also had things for my boys to do. Koh Samui is Thailand’s second largest island and it really has everything for your next vacation.
My top 10 things to do in Koh Samui:
Stay in your own Private Villa! Koh Samui is Thailand’s most luxurious island. When we first started researching staying on Koh Samui we were surprised by all the beautiful secluded villas. There are so many to choose from and so many different price points. There is everything from small couples villas to large family villas. The best place to search for the perfect villa is on Airbnb. We enjoyed just laying around all day around our own private pool and taking in the gorgeous sunsets in the evenings. Most of the villas also come with a full staff that will cook amazing Thai food for you and take care of everything you need. The villas are also perfect if you have a large family like ours so there is plenty of room for everyone. I highly recommend staying in a villa if you visit Koh Samui!
2. Visit the Beautiful Temples: I was so surprised at how amazingly beautiful the temples on this little island were. We have seen many of the temples in Bangkok but the temples on Koh Samui were my favorite! We visited Wat Plai Laen, The Big Buddha, and Wat Ratchathammaram.
3. The Beautiful Beaches: Koh Samui has some of the most beautiful beaches. There are so many to explore around the island. Some of my favorites are Silver Beach, Chaweng Beach, Lamai Beach, Bophut Beach, Maenam Beach, and Choeng Mon Beach. There is something for everyone to enjoy on the beaches of Koh Samui.
4. Visit Bophut Fishermen’s Village: We loved walking around this cute fishing village. You will find some of the best shopping and food here. The streets are lined with cute shops and cafes. Our favorite place to eat in Koh Samui is the famous Coco Tam’s. We ate here several times during our stay. You will find some of the best seafood here as fishermen bring in their daily catch. Be sure to check out Fishermen’s Village at night. They have a night market known as the walking street market. This is a great place to pick up souvenirs and try the local street food. My boys loved shopping at the night market!
5. Stay at a Fancy Resort: There are several fancy hotels on Koh Samui. We decided to splurge a few nights and stay at the Conrad Koh Samui and I’m so glad we did. It was absolutely magical and beautiful. The hotel staff was amazing from check-in to check-out. The rooms and views were so gorgeous. It has to be up there with one of my favorite hotels of all time. There is also a kid’s club that Colt loved to go to every day. Its free if you are staying there and they have arts and crafts and activities all day long for the kids. The beach is not that big here, but they do have lots of water activities and beautiful seating areas. The food was also amazing and the restaurants have the most gorgeous views! You get your own villa at the hotel and there is a golf cart service that will take you wherever you need to go in the resort.
6. Go see the Cobra and Monkey Show: Brandon took the boys to see the cobra and monkey show and they had the best time. They watched the show and held the snakes and monkeys after it was over. This is definitely an activity your boys will love and be amazed by.
7. Go on an ATV tour and play Paintball: The boys had the best time riding ATV’s and playing paintball. On a typical tour, you will ride through the jungle and check out some amazing views and waterfalls. The boys went up to a beautiful waterfall and visited a temple on their ride. This is a perfect activity and there are lots of different tour companies that offer this.
8. Book a Day trip from Koh Samui: Just a couple hours boat ride from Koh Samui is the Ang Thong National Marine Park. The park includes 42 islands with beautiful limestone cliffs, sandy beaches, caves, lagoons, and waterfalls. There are many tour companies that offer day trips. Another popular day trip destination is Koh Phangan, which is famous for its monthly full moon parties. Koh Tao is a great destination for divers. Its one of the best dive spots in Thailand!
9. Waterfalls: There are so many beautiful waterfalls in Koh Samui. The Na Muang is absolutely gorgeous. You do not need a guide or a tour company to get there. The trails make it easy to get to the waterfall. I would suggest using a map to help you find your way.
10. A visit to Overlap Stone: This is a beautiful photography place. It is hard to find but the view is worth it. This is kind of a secret location so don’t be surprised if you are the only ones there. The view is incredible!
We had the most relaxing and fun time in Koh Samui. It was the perfect ending to our time in Asia.
After living in Okinawa for three years, I was so excited to go home to the states for the summer before our next move. Sometimes things don’t turn out as planned, and we decided to stay in Okinawa one more year. This meant that we would have to pay for our airline tickets to go home. With a family of 6, that is VERY expensive. Another option would be to take a Space-Available military flight home. These are basically military operational flights that have extra seats. The military mission is always the priority, but military members and their dependents may get on the flight free of charge. I was always afraid to try this because I didn’t want to get stuck someplace with all my boys. I wish I had tried it sooner because we had a great experience.
Space-A Travel Categories
There are 6 categories for passengers from Category 1-6 with one being the highest priority.
Category 1 Emergency leave. (Space-A Travel is allowed on a round-trip basis in connection with serious illness, death, or impending death of a member of the immediate family)
Category 2 Environmental Morale Leave (EML) (Sponsors on environmental and morale leave (EML) and accompanied family members)
Category 3 Ordinary leave. (family members with a deployed Sponsor)
Category 4 Unaccompanied dependents on EML. (Unaccompanied family members traveling on EML orders)
Space-A Signup: This is so important that you do this as early as possible. Your priority within a Space-A category is based on this signup date. Having signed up early is what allowed my big family to have a greater chance of getting on a flight. You want to sign up with every passenger terminal that you might travel through. You are signing up to compete for any flight with Space-A seats at a given terminal. The easiest way to sign up is by email or the Take-a-Hop app. You may sign up with multiple terminals at once. I found all the emails on facebook by searching the different passenger terminals I might be flying through. I sent a mass email to every terminal. Some terminals will not confirm your sign up so be sure to save your email as confirmation. You may sign up as early as 90 days before you want to travel. So be sure to do this as early as possible. Active duty cannot sign up until they are on leave. (Brandon was not flying home with us so we were a Category 4 and we had signed up a month early from when we expected to travel.)
2. Finding Flights: The easiest way to find flights is on facebook. Every passenger terminal will release their flight schedules 72 hours in advance. Keep in mind that these flight can change and cancel last minute so you have to be flexible and patient. It will also tell you what time you need to be present for roll call and how may seats they expect to be available. You can also call the terminal to get further information about a flight.
3. Check-In (Marking yourself present): You have to mark yourself present before roll call so that you can compete for seats. Arriving one hour prior to roll call is plenty of time but you may do this up to 24 hours in advance. Some of the terminals prefer you don’t do this too early because it can get messed up in their system. Most terminals will display a list of all the passengers who have marked themselves present so you want to check this list a few minutes before roll call to make sure everything is correct.
4. Roll Call: The time listed on the passenger terminal facebook page is the time of roll call. Be sure to monitor this time on Facebook because it can change according to the mission. The staff will announce that roll call is about to begin. They will call everyone up to the desk and let everyone know how may seats are available. They will then begin to call passengers according to the highest priority and date of sign up. If they call your name, you have been selected for the flight. You will need to show your military ID and all your paperwork (all dependents 10 years and older must show their ID). They will then have you proceed to the check in desk.
5. Check in bags/order meals: All of your passengers and their luggage must be present at this time. On most flights, you can check 2 bags up to 70 lbs each. You can also check car seats. During baggage check in, you can also order meals if you will be on a long flight. The meals were a little over $5, and they had a lot of food in them. I ended up ordering 5 of them for all my boys and myself. It was a LOT of food. Each box lunch had 2 peanut butter sandwiches, chips, a drink, fruit, and cereal bars. After checking all your bags in, you are officially on that flight and the staff will tell you the approximate boarding time, but it can change. I found that most flights left about 2-3 hours from the roll call time.
6. Boarding: Soon after check-in, they will announce boarding. You will go through security just like you would at a regular airport. You will then remain in a secure area until it is time to board the plane. There are usually vending machines in this area for any last minute drinks or snacks for the flight.
7. Flight: If you decide to fly on the Patriot Express it will be a very similar experience to commercial flights. They have regular seats and in-flight service. If you fly on a military aircraft your experience will be very different. Also, be sure to wear closed toe shoes because it is required on military aircraft. During our Space-A experience, we flew on a C-130 (huge cargo plane with jump seats on the sides and middle), a C-5 military plane (this plane did have some regular seats but you faced backwards), and a C-17 plane which was my favorite (cargo plane that had jump seats on the sides)
8. Arriving at your destination: Once you arrive at your destination, you will get off the plane and wait for your luggage. Some flights might just be a layover and they will usually let you off to grab a drink or snack inside the secure area of the terminal while you wait for the plane to be ready to leave again. Most of the passenger terminals are close to the base hotels so if you get stranded or you are waiting for a flight the next day you can usually get a room for the night. They are very inexpensive and only about $70/night.
Our Space-A Experience
I had been planning to leave as soon as the boys were out of school for the summer. Our plans were to head home to Texas. I was trying to get a flight as close to Texas as possible because Brandon was not flying with us so we would be a category 4 on EML, and once we made it to the US that is as far as we can go on Space-A. If your spouse is deployed you can Space-A within the US. Hawaii and Alaska are still considered overseas so you can continue on from these locations without your sponsor. I found a flight that left the day after the boys were out of school that went From Kadena-Yokota-Alaska-Oklahoma. I couldn’t believe it! There was also a lot of available seats on the flight. We did make it on the flight, but once we got to Yokota they could not take any space-A passengers with them the rest of the way. The next morning there was a flight to Alaska and one to Travis Air Base (California). So we got a room at the hotel on base and showed up for roll call the next morning for the Alaska flight. Well, the Alaska flight got rerouted back to Kadena so I decided to try for the Travis flight later that afternoon. We made it on that flight! However, once we got to California that was as far as we could go on Space-A. Brandon had a lot of airline miles from traveling so much while living overseas so we were able to use them to get home. We also decided to explore San Francisco for a couple of days while we were there.
Brandon eventually joined us in Texas so he was with us on our return trip home. We were trying to decided whether to fly out of Seattle on the Patriot Express or to try and get a flight out of Travis. We decided since it was still peak PCS season and the Patriot is how everyone PCSing gets overseas we would try Travis. We got so lucky. We flew to Travis with airline miles again, and we ended up staying one night at the hotel on base. The next morning there was a flight that went from Travis-Alaska-Kadena. We made it on that flight and it was the easiest flight ever. We only had a 45 minute layover in Alaska, and it was on a C-17 so the boys could just lay out in the middle of the plane and sleep. The crew on this flight were amazing! They let Bryant in the cockpit to watch take off, and Colt in the cockpit to watch landing. It was the best experience! Here are a few pictures from all our adventures at home after being overseas for three years!
What to Pack on a Space-A flight
Make sure you have all your travel documents, military IDs, and passports.
Dress in warm comfortable clothes. The flights can be very cold and you want to have enough layers on and be comfortable.
Pack a small lightweight sleeping pad or mattress. I wish I had brought these for my boys. This is a must if you are on one of the cargo planes. You can use this to lay out on once you are in the air. You can also bring blankets and pillows to be even more comfortable. The crew did provide us with basic travel pillows and blankets.
Travel Pillow
Travel blanket or sleeping bag
Head phones or ear protection. I really love the noise-cancelling heaphones
Portable Charger for all your devices
Load lots of games and movies on devices for kids
Bring snacks or purchase some in the vending machines in the passenger terminals.
I am so glad that I finally had the courage to try Space-A travel. It is such a great benefit for military families! Especially for those of us living overseas with large families which makes it very expensive to get back home to see family. I am by no means an expert at Space-A travel, but I had a lot of my friends asking me how I did it so I thought this would be the best way to share our experience. Adventure Awaits…go for it!!
