Wilhelm's Castle and Wine Tour Wednesday

Well, Wednesday was wonderful. Yay alliterations! Anyway, this post will have a very large lack of learning, as we had today off for some pre-planned excursions.

First stop: Chateau du Haut-Koenigsbourg
I WAS IN A CASTLE!!!! Not a "castle" as some call the chateaus, but a REAL CASTLE BUILT IN THE MIDDLE AGES!!!!!! Can I get a What What?

Here's the history of the castle in a nutshell:

• Built by at least the 12th century (first records of it)
• Burnt down during the 30 Years War (last record of Swedes doing anything aggressive other than banking)
• Abandoned for centures
• Found by Kaiser William II, restored but with German flair
• Switch back to French control by the Treaty of Versailles (1919)
• Suffered an invasion of eight West Virginians (2013)

Alright. Now to the castle. It was really amazing to see. Drew and I could have spent all day there and other castles. Seeing the intricate detail that was put into building it was astounding. Even the doors looked awesome. The armory was pretty sweet, as I got to see weapons that I only read about or saw while playing Lords of the Realm II. I tried to take pictures but my camera battery died. Many pictures were taken by my friends though. I doubt I'll need pictures to remember going to a CASTLE!!!!!

Pit Stop: Riquewihr
This was a small village that was actually pretty nice. Still, few pictures because of the dead camera. This was a quick stop for lunch and to kill some time before our wine tour. I tried some sauerkraut, which actually wasn't that bad. I assume it was a German special, since it was served with 5 different meats. Drew lived up to his "I'm in France, why not?" motto and ordered escargot (snails.) I decided to go the safe route and ordered some authentic French Onion Soup, or Onion Soup as it's known here. I got some batteries and chocolate from a small gift shop. I'm trying to save my souvenir shopping for Paris.

Next Stop: Jean Geiler Winery
What better way to explore the Alsacien region that is known for its wine than to go wine tasting? Our group had a small tour of the facilities on site after driving past hundreds of acres of vineyards. This winery makes hundreds of millions of bottles of year. Dang. After a quick tour, we got down to what some people were most excited for: wine tasting. I was indifferent to this. We tried 6 different wines then could request more we might be interested in. Overall, it was not a bad experience. Wine is still not my thing (or drinking in general) but I did find some types I don't mind that much. Apparently, wine for me has to be really dry or really sweet. The middle stuff is not my cup of tea. Oh well. Some people bought bottles to take back as souvenirs.

Pit Stop 2: Statue of Liberty!
'Murrka!!!! We had a small detour to check out a replica of the Statue of Liberty in Colmar. Of course, we had to do the tourist thing and take tons of pictures while there. Got a couple good ones of the group reppin' the state flag! Woo! Nothing too exciting but still fun times to be an obnoxious American.

Final Stop: home
Got home. Dinner, relaxing, get ready for school tomorrow. David and Sarah went into town to see the Philharmonic Orchestra that was playing. I thought about going but I didn't want to be the third wheel, though I am slightly regretting it now... Oh well. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, I guess.