Tim arranged for a tour of the Pilatus factory near Lucerne, and near Mount Pilatus - the mountain the company is named after. Tim flys a Pilatus, so he was really looking forward to seeing the production process.

Tammy, Deborah and Belia stayed back to do some more shopping. The rest of us arrived at 8:30 am, and received a warm welcome from a man named Theddy, who Tim had been emailing with in regards to the tour. Theddy is a test pilot and has made various trips to Canada to help deliver planes, and also work out any problems a Pilatus is having. Our tour was incredibly thorough and we were surprised to find out they manufacture many of their own plane parts on site, including the main wing spar. The factory sends left over aluminum from the milling process back to the aluminum supplier; to do this machines compress the leftover shavings into solid hunks of aluminum, the size and shape of a tin can. Hundreds of thousands of these are continuously being melted down and reused. We saw the assembly line from beginning to end - the organization and teamwork impressed us. A new airplane can be assembled in 3 months! We were told that a large part of their business is producing trainers for fighter pilots, and we were able to see a variety of them in different stages of production. A highlight for Tim was getting a sneak peak of the PC24 Jet prototype that Pilatus is in the process of making. The tour took about two hours. Theddy sent us away with a goodie bag of Pilatus nicknacks.

Arriving back at the hotel we loaded our bags and checked out. We did a little more shopping and stopped by the Lion monument for one last look, this time in the daylight. We could see more detail in the light, and shared the space with a tour bus, a different experience than the night before, but still worth it. Mark Twain wrote about the monument describing it as, "the most mournful and moving piece of stone in the world."

We left Lucerne around 2:00 and drove to Bacharach, Germany. Our GPS led us uphill through steep vineyards, around a few sharp switchbacks arriving at Stahleck Castle.

Stahleck Castle dates back to the 12th century. It's name means "impregnable castle on a crag." We walked through the stone entranceway, past a water-filled partial moat ( a unique feature rarely seen in Germany), and then into the roomy castle courtyard. Kids ran around using their imaginations, pretending to be in sword fights. From one edge of the courtyard we could see over the Lorelei valley, and down at the town of Bacharach, and the Rhine. The Rhine was busy with boats of all kinds.

We were spending 2 nights in this unique spot. Once again Tammy, Doug and Deborah's willingness to be adventuresome impressed me. I come up with these "memory making" ideas and they go along with it - great sports! Mariah was apprehensive about sleeping in such an old place and needed reassurance.

We checked into the castle hostel (a hostel since 1926 - with a few interruptions during WW1 and WW2). The castle is clean and well cared for. The walls are whitewashed, and bright cheerful mobiles hang from the ceilings with coordinating bright nicknacks arranged in the window sills making it feel homey. Many young families use the hostel so it is also equipped with a toy room. Tables and chairs are arranged in the entry for visiting or using technology. Down a wide staircase into the basement is the bar and next to it a dining hall. Up a winding staircase into a hallway arebasic bunkbed rooms with slanted ceilings. Our room had 3 bunks, enough for all of us in one space. Out of our window we could see into the courtyard, the large castle tower directly in front, used for bedrooms as well. Tammy, Doug, Deborah and kids were across the hall from us. They had a fantastic view of the Rhine from their room window. At the end of the hall is a communal women's bathroom and shower area. Up a floor is the men's bathrooms and showers. They were very clean and bright. Through small windows in the bathroom we could see the impressive incline of the nearby vineyards. Outside in the courtyard, picnic tables with large umbrellas sit next to the wall overlooking the Rhine. We set our bags in our room and went down into the town of Bacharach to have supper.

Bacharach is a quaint place, a perfect gingerbread village. We walked around the center where many people were sitting out at patios eating. The smell of homemade German food hung in the air, making us eager to order something. We chose a spot and our waitress, who could speak English, helped us choose our meals. Schnitzel was the most common order and it did not disappoint. That was the beginning of a schnitzel a day in Germany. Tim, Doug and Brennin used the excuse that they had to rate schnitzels, and find the best one. While we visited, had coffee and apple strudel, the kids played cops and robbers in the tiny town of Bacharach. The village is so small that they were always close by, but they enjoyed the freedom of exploring something that you normally only read about in books.

It was dark, we drove back to the castle and the kids got ready for bed. We made a call home, and sat out on the picnic tables in the courtyard watching the boats on the Rhine. There was hardly a sound around the area, the families had gone to bed, and aside from one other couple the courtyard was empty. It was one of those moments when you just want time to stand still for as long as possible. An anniversary we will never forget.

Back in our room we nodded off to sleep looking forward to seeing more in the morning.