8 Days in Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands - Day 1: The Moselle River Valley

We've found our cheap air hub of choice in Europe:  it's Charleroi Airport 45 minutes south of Brussels. We can fly here for less than 80 Euros from Riga and Charleroi's central location gives us easy access to so many great places in central Europe. Paris is less than 3 hours away, Amsterdam, too. Luxembourg and western Germany are just an hour or two away and Switzerland is within easy reach.  We used our new favorite hub as the starting point for our "Ski Week" vacation through Belgium, Germany and The Netherlands. On the first day, we spent a couple hours in Spa, the town from which the word "spa" originates, where the luke warm waters disappointed before following the Moselle River Valley into Germany. On the way, the Cochem and Eltz Castles were the highlights. Ever since seeing a travel magazine cover with Eltz Castle on it when we were in Stockholm last summer, I've had this castle on my mind so it was amazing to finally stand on the castle bridge looking at it's turrets piercing the sky. A beautiful hike brought us to this special castle in its remote location reminding us that the best spots in Europe are often found outside the major centers. A great start to our castle road trip!