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Pieces of rose quartz were for sale outside a shop in Idar-Oberstein. The town, comprising two neighboring villages along the banks of the Nahe River, is the center of Germany's precious-stones route.

Pieces of rose quartz were for sale outside a shop in Idar-Oberstein. The town, comprising two neighboring villages along the banks of the Nahe River, is the center of Germany's precious-stones route. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

Pieces of rose quartz were for sale outside a shop in Idar-Oberstein. The town, comprising two neighboring villages along the banks of the Nahe River, is the center of Germany's precious-stones route.

Pieces of rose quartz were for sale outside a shop in Idar-Oberstein. The town, comprising two neighboring villages along the banks of the Nahe River, is the center of Germany's precious-stones route. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

The Felsenkirche - or Church in the Rock - sits about 200 feet above Idar-Oberstein, Germany, built inside a natural niche along a towering rock face.

The Felsenkirche - or Church in the Rock - sits about 200 feet above Idar-Oberstein, Germany, built inside a natural niche along a towering rock face. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

Roughly cut pieces of polished rocks were only 1 euro at a stand outside a shop in Idar-Oberstein, famous for its semiprecious gemstones.

Roughly cut pieces of polished rocks were only 1 euro at a stand outside a shop in Idar-Oberstein, famous for its semiprecious gemstones. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

Polished rocks glisten in the morning sun outside a shop in Idar-Oberstein, Germany.

Polished rocks glisten in the morning sun outside a shop in Idar-Oberstein, Germany. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

A viewing platform outside the Felsenkirche  looks over the town of Idar-Oberstein, Germany.

A viewing platform outside the Felsenkirche looks over the town of Idar-Oberstein, Germany. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

The path to Oberstein Castle is a steep climb through the woods above the town of Idar-Oberstein, Germany.

The path to Oberstein Castle is a steep climb through the woods above the town of Idar-Oberstein, Germany. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

The refreshing reward for the climb to Oberstein Castle, in Idar-Oberstein, Germany.

The refreshing reward for the climb to Oberstein Castle, in Idar-Oberstein, Germany. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

We found the door open at Oberstein Castle, a steep hike up the valley from the town of Idar-Oberstein, Germany.

We found the door open at Oberstein Castle, a steep hike up the valley from the town of Idar-Oberstein, Germany. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

A bird's-eye view of Idar-Oberstein, Germany, from a window inside Oberstein Castle.

A bird's-eye view of Idar-Oberstein, Germany, from a window inside Oberstein Castle. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

Oberstein Castle looms in the distance from a vantage point along the paved trail to the castle, in Idar-Oberstein, Germany.

Oberstein Castle looms in the distance from a vantage point along the paved trail to the castle, in Idar-Oberstein, Germany. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

Cuts of beef roast on an open flame outdoors at a cafe in Idar-Oberstein, Germany. The town is known for its "Spiessbraten," a specialty brought back by gem cutters from South America.

Cuts of beef roast on an open flame outdoors at a cafe in Idar-Oberstein, Germany. The town is known for its "Spiessbraten," a specialty brought back by gem cutters from South America. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

A mound of "spaghetti Eis" - soft vanilla ice cream made to look like spaghetti noodles, covered with strawberry sauce - was the perfect treat after hiking in the hills above Idar-Oberstein, Germany. There are several outdoor ice cream cafes lining the town center.

A mound of "spaghetti Eis" - soft vanilla ice cream made to look like spaghetti noodles, covered with strawberry sauce - was the perfect treat after hiking in the hills above Idar-Oberstein, Germany. There are several outdoor ice cream cafes lining the town center. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

Thin slivers of polished-stone wind chimes add color to the pedestrian area of Idar-Oberstein, Germany.

Thin slivers of polished-stone wind chimes add color to the pedestrian area of Idar-Oberstein, Germany. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

A quaint fountain sits in the town center of Idar-Oberstein, Germany. The town, composed of the villages Idar and Oberstein, is about 15 minutes away from Baumholder.

A quaint fountain sits in the town center of Idar-Oberstein, Germany. The town, composed of the villages Idar and Oberstein, is about 15 minutes away from Baumholder. (Jennifer H. Svan/Stars and Stripes)

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Idar-Oberstein, Germany, may be famous for its colorful gemstones, but some of this craggy town’s best fun can be had high above the ground.

On a muggy July day, I dragged my two kids to this mountain burg about 55 minutes northwest of Kaiserslautern for what I hoped would be a kid-friendly adventure.

Situated on the banks of the Nahe River, about only 15 minutes from Baumholder, Idar-Oberstein has been the center of Germany’s gemstone route for hundreds of years. Agate, jasper and quartz were once mined from the region, but today most of the semiprecious stones come via South America — though they are still cut and polished locally, one shopkeeper told us.

Despite the lure of the quaint town center, which glittered with pretty jewels and polished stones set outdoors on tables, we headed for the hills.

After 216 steps, including a climb through a tunnel blasted into the side of a cliff, we caught our breaths inside a peaceful church that had a disturbing beginning.

The Felsenkirche — or Church in the Rock — sits about 200 feet above the valley inside a niche in a towering rock face. It was built in the late 1400s as penance for fratricide, according to a city guidebook. Legend has it that two noble brothers who lived on the cliff-top castle above Idar-Oberstein were in love with a princess named Bertha. One brother got the girl. The jilted brother, in a jealous fit of rage, threw his sibling off the cliff to his death. To atone for his bad deed, the murderous brother built the chapel by hand on the spot where his brother died.

It sounds like a tall tale, but what else could explain why a church was built in the path of falling rocks?

Apparently, that danger is why the church is accessed through a tunnel. A rock slide in 1724 damaged some late Gothic windows, but works of art have persisted for hundreds of years inside the stone church, including a medieval winged altar created about 1400.

We marveled at the church’s rock face wall and traversed more stairs, through a dank cave next to the church from which a natural spring drips. The top opens up to an expansive viewing platform overlooking the city.

Feeling adventurous, we struggled onward and upward, through a winding asphalt trail through the woods to Oberstein Castle. Thankfully, there’s a kiosk there that offers bottled drinks — a godsend for red-faced kids like mine, whose mother neglected to bring a water pack. We toured the castle rooms, some of which are still used for public and private gatherings, and noticed a mix of modern and old.

“There’s nothing medieval about that,” my daughter observed, when she darkened the twisting stone staircase on her brother with the flip of a light switch.

Some of the plumbing, however, was still medieval-style. A wooden seat with a hole opening onto the slopes below served as a toilet. “That’s so disgusting,” my son said when he learned what the seat had been used for.

We ended up back in the town, not for rocks, but for ice cream. Tired and sweaty from our jaunt above the rooftops, we treated ourselves to some precious spaghetti Eis.

Next time, we’ll mine the streets for gems.

svan.jennifer@stripes.com

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Jennifer reports on the U.S. military from Kaiserslautern, Germany, where she writes about the Air Force, Army and DODEA schools. She’s had previous assignments for Stars and Stripes in Japan, reporting from Yokota and Misawa air bases. Before Stripes, she worked for daily newspapers in Wyoming and Colorado. She’s a graduate of the College of William and Mary in Virginia.

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