the G E M capital of Germany

About a thirty-mintue drive from our house, we decided on the spur-of-the-moment to check out the city of Idar-Oberstein.
Quicker than a day trip, we went for the afternoon. It is The German Capital of Gemstone Industry. Justin made plans to go swimming with friends, so we packed up Ty and the little guys and headed to check out this historic spot.
We made sure to stop along the way to smell the roses.

Coleman is especially in to birthstones, crystals and rocks right now, so we thought it might grab his attention.

Definitely a cool little place, we first checked out the church built in to the side of the mountain- Felsenkirche. Constructed between 1482-1484, we loved walking through it.
You have to walk through a tunnel to get to the inside of the church- kind of added to the adventure.

After a few pictures, conversing a tad in German with a little old man on the trail, and making our way through the church, we continued up the hill to the castle ruins above. A beautiful day in the upper 80's, the shade from the trees was nice along the wooded trail.
We took little rests, but they all made it to the top. What a spectacular view- worth every step of the walk up!

No one wanted to stand too close to the edge- it was that steep.
Before leaving the house, I read up {from Wikipedia} the following on the church:

According to legend, there were two noble brothers, Wyrich and Emich, who both fell in love with a beautiful girl named Bertha. The brothers lived in Castle Bosselstein, which was situated atop a 450 foot high hill. Bertha was from a noble line that occupied the nearby Lichtenburg Castle (this castle later became the site of the Nazi's Lichtenburg Concentration Camp).

Neither brother was aware of the other's feelings for Bertha. When Wyrich, the elder brother, was away on some unknown business, Emich succeeded in securing Bertha's affections and, subsequently, married her. When Emich announced the news to his brother, Wyrich's temper got the better of him. In the heat of the moment, he hurled his brother out of a window of the castle and sent him to his death on the rocks below.

Wyrich was almost immediately filled with remorse. With the counsel of a local abbot, he began a long period of penance. At this time, Bertha disappears from historical record. Many romantics feel that she died of a broken heart.

As Wyrich waited for a heavenly sign showing that he was forgiven, the abbot suggested that he build a church on the exact place where his brother died. Wyrich worked and prayed himself into exhaustion. However, the moment the church was completed, he received his sign: a miracle spring opened up in the church.

I told the boys this story while driving. It was fun to listen to them while walking around trying to figure out where they were fighting when the one brother was thrown down. So educational, I know.

Relieved to find a little gift shop at the top, we bought a bottle of water {with gas} from a sweet little German couple. Coleman even asked for it using his German. I think we're {the boys and I} are going to take some German lessons this summer {from home}. They just don't know it yet- think they'll be excited?

Of course, we had to find ice cream once we made our way back down the mountain. That's what these mini-trips are all about after all! Even on our super-tight budget at the moment, there are still a zillion things to see and do here.