Frankenstein Castle

 The ride from Darmstadt to Eberstadt was super nice. Separated bike lane. Sections of tree cover. Mellow traffic. I was really enjoying the ride.

 Once I left Eberstadt and headed up the hill, the scenery changed from normal neighborhood to gorgeous forest.

 Bike tracks! Hell ya.

 I went through the forest for only a short distance then rode the rest of the way up this road. Again, the traffic was minimal but the incline was brutal on my shitty bike (7% grade). I got hot and walked up a bit with my shirt off. It was excellent. Exercise. Sunshine. Secluded mountain road. FINALLY! Plus, a van with downhill bikes on a rack passed me on its way up. I guess some riders shuttle the trails here. That's a good sign.

 After 2.2 kilometers and 160 meters (524 feet in 1.4 miles) of climbing I arrived. I parked my bike and took a trail to the side of the castle. I could have taken the actual entrance, but I wanted the fun route.
Before 1250, Lord Conrad II Reiz of Breuberg built Frankenstein Castle and thereafter named himself von und zu Frankenstein.

 I'm not sure what this room was originally used for, but that chair on the left has nails coming up from the arm rest. Original? Or just a prop for the Halloween parties?
In 1363, the castle was split into two parts and owned by two different families of the lords and knights of Frankenstein.

 Frankenstein's chapel.

I didn't take this picture. I found it online and it's better than the one I took.

The castle was used as refuge and a hospital afterward, falling into ruins in the 18th century. The two towers that are so distinctive today are a historically inaccurate restoration carried out in the mid-19th century.  

DAMN IT! I've been swindled! Oh well. It's still cool.

 The views from up top are amazing. At least on this day. The weather has been hit and miss. We've had rain clouds come and go, sometimes dumping rain, other times a light sprinkle.

 This is the look I always imagined castles had. Arrow slits, and the gaps for viewing/shooting/throwing shit.

 I saw some chalk marks on this rock just outside the back wall of the castle. I wouldn't want to boulder this rock. The landing is steep and could be dangerous. Some bike trails start here and trails split off in both directions. I wanted to walk down, but I think I'll come back and dedicate more time to exploring the trails.

Yep. There is a trail map I can't understand, and markings that only make sense if you can read the map. Maybe you just follow the As or Bs all the way down. I can handle that.

Time to shred the road I climbed earlier. Hell ya!

Check out the video. I hope it does justice to the scenery and conveys the fun I had. I didn't put any time into editing though. My cell phone doesn't do very well and it's hard to avoid camera shake when it only weighs a few ounces.

Back in civilization I came across this velodrome. This is the reason fixed gear bikes exist. They're not for hipster beard-bros. They're for racing this small track with steep banked turns. No brakes, just sprinting.