Castles!

During our drive from Strasbourg to Colmer we spotted no less than 15 castles along the way. Some were huge and others were in ruins, but they were castles nonetheless and I couldn't wait to explore them!

The first castle we visited was the Chateau du Haut-Koeningsbourg which sits atop a hill overlooking the Alcatian plain. It is unknown when this castle was first built, but the first mention of it was in 1147. 

Here is the entrance to the castle: 

Pictures of the castle I took off the internet

A model of the castle

The entrance

In the courtyard

Jack laying down on the drawbridge

A view from above

View of the Alcatian plains from the window

After the castle, we stopped for lunch at a nearby B&B. Jack enjoyed playing on the castle playground

We all discovered the wonderful world of Tarte Flambees (here is the definition from Wikipedia):

Tarte flambée is an Alsatian dish composed of thin bread dough rolled out in a rectangle (traditionally) or a circle, which is covered with crème fraîche, thinly sliced raw onions, andlardons. It is one of the most famous gastronomical specialties of the region.

After Haut Koeningsburg we drove around to find another castle. We ended up stopping at a hiking trail and we followed the trail to the Chateau du Bernstein. Apparently this is one of the oldest castles in the region being built sometime at the beginning of the 11th century. Parts of the surrounding wall are from prehistoric times. All that remains now is a shell:

A dark hole. We must explore!

After climbing the steps in the dark tower we arrived to the top with this amazing view

Luke and Grandma at the top of the tower