COTA @ DE-00042 Burg Eltz
Burg Eltz sits on a rock spur above the Eltzbach, largely unchanged since the twelfth century and still owned by descendants of the original family. A two-kilometre walk from the car park winds down through beech woods and opens onto the castle view every postcard has copied.
Setup
Used the visitor meadow outside the castle gates, keeping clear of the footpaths. Wire into a sycamore, rig on a folding stool, thermos wedged in the grass.
The log
Twenty metres ran strong from the start — eleven QSOs in the first half hour including a loud EA5 and a patient UR. Forty filled in after the band shifted, with a cluster of DL and OK at the end.
Several tour groups passed through while I was on the air. A few people stopped to ask about the radio; one of them turned out to be DJ2-something from Hannover on holiday. Handed over a QSL card and a slice of Stollen.