These two weeks have been one constant whirlwind, I mean I still can’t believe we’re here AND that we’ve seen 6 castles! I can’t believe my time here is almost over, I head home tomorrow! One was even Burg Frankenstein, yes the place that inspired THE Frankenstein novel!! Some of the castles look more like estates, others are ruins and one was even a medieval castle with people still living there!

On Friday we visited Burg Frankenstein, and it was the creepiest thing ever! There was so much fog the entire day, which definitely added to the atmosphere. I can’t even imagine visiting for Halloween. Technically the Burg Frankenstein ruins that exist today are actually an inaccurate replication of the original structure, but it was still super cool (I think it was Ben’s favorite :P)!

Saturday we made it to three more castles including Schwetzingen Palace, Heidelberg Palace, and Mannheim Baroque Palace. We had planned to make it to another one, but it was dark by the time we got there! I think the palace I want to go back to the most is Schwetzingen Palace. They have expansive gardens and I can’t even imagine how beautiful they must be when it isn’t the dead of winter ;). Heidelberg were some of the coolest (and most massive) ruins we’ve ever seen! The history behind these places is just so crazy. I mean, Heidelberg Palace was in ruins before the World Wars! Mannheim Baroque Palace has actually been mostly transformed and used as a university now too!

By the end of Saturday we ended up in Cologne with our friends standing at the base of the Cologne Cathedral drinking Gluwein at one of their many Christmas markets! Talk about surreal! Sunday we went to Burg Satzvey to a Medieval castle and their Christmas market with our friends from Germany. I’ll come back any time!

Schwetzingen Palace!

One of the remaining walls at Heidelberg :)

Mannheim Baroque Palace

Burg Frankenstein, you can’t tell me the fog isn’t creepy!

Burg Satzvey!