This was taken during our cruise on the Rhine River in Germany.  This is a picture of a “Robber Baron” castle.  During the Middle Ages there was no such thing as a free trade agreement, and collecting tolls was commonplace.  The location of the castle on an island in the middle of the Rhine made it a perfect candidate to make sure ships didn’t sneak by without “paying their dues”.  Chains would be thrown across the river and payment would be exacted… or else.  That said it’s been restore quite a bit.  Very aesthetically pleasing.  The actual trip itself took quite a while to get to the beginning of the cruise.  Once on the river it was very scenic.  The second castle is Rheinfels castle, which is one of the best castles in Europe to go see although much of it is crumbling now.  At one point it was one of the most powerful castles in Germany.  I would have liked to have spent some time looking around and exploring the castle but Alas, it was not to be.