Day 3: Schloss Drachenburg

(If you don't speak German, don't translate the title until the end of the blog so you can feel what I felt on this adventure😊)

I believe the best adventures are those that happen unexpectedly, without planning, without realizing it, and that's what happened to us in Konigswinter.

We learned a lot, and here I'm sharing all the information in case you find yourself in the area and can experience a similar adventure. I highly recommend it, especially if you're traveling with children.

It was only day 3 of our great trip. We had already spent day 1 on a long layover in Taiwan and arrived in Morfelden-Walldorf (day 2), where everyone, exhausted from the trip, went to sleep at 6 pm.

We had no plans for day 3; we just knew we had to start looking into RV options to buy. While searching for RV sales locations, we were pleasantly surprised to find that it was Sunday and everything, absolutely everything, was closed. We only found one open place, and it was 1 hour and 20 minutes from where we were, so we headed there.

After looking at RV options, it was time for lunch, so we searched Google for reviews of good restaurants as we usually do. Razi found one that claimed to have great views and was only 15 minutes from where we were, and that's where we went.

Koningswinter is the name of the town, and we loved it from the first moment; it's so pretty and charming. However, the road to the restaurant was blocked. We almost went somewhere else, but luckily, Google Maps showed us another route. The new route was also blocked; it only went as far as a parking lot, and from there we had to walk, but there were a lot of people leaving their cars and taking that route. I don't think everyone is going to the restaurant; there must be something else, I told Razi. I looked up the walk time to the restaurant, and it was only 10 minutes. Luckily, it was only 10 minutes, because if it had been 20 minutes, we might have left, since the children were hungry and would have protested of a long walk. And what a mistake that would have been…

From the beginning, everything worked out well. Razi was given from a stranger an all-day parking ticket, and the hike was beautiful from the start. It passed through a forest that the four of us really enjoyed. At one point, the path revealed an incredible castle in the distance. That must be where everyone goes, I thought.

In exactly 10 minutes, we arrived at the restaurant. It did indeed have a beautiful view of the town and the Rhine River. The food and service were also very good.

Leaving the restaurant, we walked towards the castle

And oh wow! From the entrance you could see a giant dragon on the door, very detailed built and you could ride it!

The kids immediately hopped on. Already the experience was a 10/10... until it started moving! It was an incredible experience for them, and for me, as it made me live out my Targaryen dream.(Game of thrones fans reference 😊)

And it got even better, there was another room with three additional dragons inside, one water dragon and two winged ones. All very well made and moving mechanically. A very, very good experience, and free!

What did cost was the entrance fee to the castle, 10 euros per person, and children didn't pay, so we decided to go in.

Visits to places like these castles, museums, and historic centres aren't fun for children, so I told my kids there was treasure in the castle! #travellingwithkidstip

I showed them a map (a sketch of the castle) and we began the treasure hunt. Only then they managed to go to every room and every floor of this magnificent castle, which was very well preserved and with beautiful stained-glass windows like this beautiful peacock below:

It also had beautiful gardens and a beautiful view of the Rhine River.

The children, very determined to find the treasure, finally succeeded. All this time, the treasure was at the entrance under the feet of a fifth dragon of lights, the treasure was 2 golden coins (mum didn't put them there 😉)

Happy children, we returned the same way and back home, of course stopping to buy ice cream with the treasure coins we found.

Olivia: Mami, it was the best day. Can we come back tomorrow to visit the dragons?

Me: Oh, my dear, this is just the beginning! 😊

Additional Information:

• The castle is called Scholss Drachenburg. If you've read the entire blog, you guessed it: it's the dragon's castle.

• The restaurant we went to is called Winzerhauschen.

• The parking lot where the hike to the restaurant and castle begins is here. (LINK)

• The castle can be reached by train (Costs, routes and operating hours here) (LINK)

• About me: I'm Gabby, and with my husband Razi, and my five-year-old twins are traveling through Europe in a motorhome. Follow us for travel tips, traveling with kids, kids' activities and balance and self-care on the road😊