Valentine's Day in a Castle

Ah Groupon - you tease! Just when I think you'll be as awesome in Europe as you were in San Francisco, you prove me wrong - again and again!

A few months back, we bought a Groupon deal for a two night stay in a castle in Germany. We decided to cash it in for Valentine's Day - ooh-la-la. *wiggle those eyebrows* So, we packed up the car and made the two hour drive to Kronenburg, Germany. Let's just say it was cute and charming but it didn't quite live up to my ideas of a castle!

Anyhoo, our castle that was not quite a castle (CTWNQC) was situated on top of a hill surrounded by a very old - and admitted cute - little German town. I love how tiny and narrow the roads are - like you're really only meant to walk them, not drive them. We checked in to our CTWNQC and hefted our bags up two flights of stairs. Turns out even CTWNQCs are not handicap friendly. But our room was lovely - and enormous! It was a lovely two level suite with room for three more people - not that we wanted three more people joining us for Valentine's Day. There were exposed wooden beams everywhere and a single tiny window making it feel a bit more protected castle like. The bed was crap but I'll overlook that given the shower had four massage jets for my back - heaven!

The idea had been to getaway to Germany and relax for a few days. These days it really seems that the only time I see or really talk to the hubs is when we leave Brussels for more than 24 hours. So, we were leaving Brussels for 43 hours. And the time away was great. But the real highlight was Dr. Loosen Winery! Herb was able to arrange a tasting at Dr. Loosen in Mosel. Now, let me just say this has been my favorite winery since my Chicago days and Bin 36! Some wine classes in San Francisco reaffirmed my love affair with Dr. Loosen. And for Valentine's Day, I got a private wine tasting with their sommelier!! I also got 11 bottles of wine, which will make any fan super duper happy.

Driving into the Mosel Valley was pretty, but similar to driving through the Eastern edge of Luxembourg for wine tasting. BUT given the recent cold weather that's been pummeling Europe, it was a treat to see the Rhine River almost completely frozen over. (The sommelier at Dr. Loosen said he'd never seen it frozen like that.) It's views like that that make me super happy someone finally invented the heated seat for the automobile.