Two Castles in Two Days

So, now that my parents have left, the weather has become glorious! We are waking up to sunshine and enjoying 70 degree weather. This is the life! Plus, Ross and I have gotten our car. A 2009 Passat wagon, which really is a sweet ride. We have decided to embrace this lovely weather and our amazing surroundings by hitting the open road.

On Saturday, we headed into France. You can not beat the great food and eye popping scenery. Last weekend, when my parents were here, we noticed a very cool castle, Chateau de Hohlandsbourg, overlooking Colmar, so that is where we headed. We drove through amazing vineyards and wound our way to the top of a mountain where we came upon a castle. Due to the long weekend, the castle was having a Renaissance Festival. We saw belly dancers, bear wrestlers (which seems cruel and dumb), people on stilts, lots of musicians, and a play. Joel was in heaven watching the entrainment. Ross and I were in heaven eating at the cafe before we walked around and took lots of pictures. We would have loved to stay all day, but Joel had to get back for his nap, so we took the scenic route home to Basel. Needless to say, it was a beautiful day. This is absolutely a place we should take visitors.

On Sunday, we got up early and headed to the castle, we don't even know its name, that we can see from our house. WOW! It took about 10 minutes to get up the mountain and then we walked around the castle. It was closed, which is a shame, because it was amazing. Plus, there were tons of walking paths around the area. Ross and I are planning a PM picnic there for a few weeks from now. The castle is only open on Sundays and Wednesdays from 2-5, which is not great for Joel's nap schedule. We are hoping to get into the castle with Joel after his nap and then have a nice picnic dinner before it is time to head home to sleep.

After the castle, we drove out to the country to look for horse farms! We found them in spades which is very exciting for me! There is one located right on the French/Swiss border that had lovely facilities and very lovely horses. Keep your fingers crossed for me that they speak English so I can get lessons set up.