The view from our window today at a little past dawn revealed the forest and fields surrounding us .
After breakfast and a quick side trip to feed the reindeer, we set out on the day's hike.
Our first stop was the monument high over the Rhine, commemorating the unification of Germany in 1871 by Kaiser Wilhelm. A move that's still bitterly resented by Herbert, my Bavarian guide in Munich.
After we resumed our march, I was pretty sure we were lost yet again, but Kate was sure she knew the way. This time she turned out to be right.
Now here's the kind of thing that interests me. Did you know that in Europe they have practically no tow trucks? If you break down, a Triple A type guy shows up with a van full of tools and parts. If he can't fix what ails your car on the spot, he just hooks you up to a tow bar. You ride in your car and steer on the way to the garage. They can do that because almost all the cars are quite small and light weight.
Back to the hike.
Along the way, we came upon an enormous youth hostel overlooking Rudesheim and the river, where you can get a private double room with private bath for $60 a night. Next time.....
Finally, after two-plus hours we reached the town of Rudesheim.
We paused to get our bearings and to drink lots of water and diet coke, and decided to take the boat down river to St. Goar, where the best castle is.
As we started out, we got a nice view of the unification monument we had hiked to earlier, and of some of the vineyards where Riesling and other famous varieties of wine grapes are grown.
In case you didn't know, the Rhine Valley is all about castles. We saw MANY castles on our short (12 miles or so) trip down the river. Kate kept track of which castle was which with an assist from Rick Steves, but don't ask me the names of any of them now. Most of the castles were built by robber barons. They would stretch chains across the river and demand a toll from the ships to let them pass. The trip down the river must have been slower than driving on German highways in the rain on weekends.
The boat trip gave us a good view of how the vineyards are planted even on the very steepest of slopes on each side of the Rhine.
We arrived in St. Goar, and we could glimpse Rheinsfeld Burg high at the top of the hill in the distance.
I noted that there was a funky little tourist tram, but Kate said it would be more fun to walk up to the castle.
When I looked back at the trail after a half hour or so, I thought fondly of the little tourist tram.
Rheinfels Burg has been around since the 1200s. At one point it withstood a siege by 28,ooo French troops -- but some years later the French Revolutionary Army took the castle, and then blew it up. It's been a ruin ever since, although part of it has been rebuilt and now houses a hotel and restaurant.
From the castle there is an excellent view of the Rhine. What you hear about is the beautiful Rhine, romantic, lined with castles, etc. All true, but the river originates in Basel, Switzerland and winds all the way through Switzerland, Germany, and the Netherlands to Rotterdam Harbor and the North Sea. Rotterdam is Europe's most important harbor. The Rhine is like a superhighway for tankers, container ships, and other cargo vessels. The current is so strong that often the ships have to go up river under tow.
Back to the castle. We toured the ruins of the defensive battlements where crossbows were used and hot pitch was poured down on hapless invaders, we entered the dungeon, the slaughter room (animals, I think), the pantry and wine cellar, to name but a few places we covered. The Burg could accommodate 6,000 people if under siege -- usually around 600 people lived there.
Making our way back south, we took a ferry across the river and then caught a train to Rudesheim.
Having arrived back in Rudesheim, we found a nice German restaurant and had hefty German meals of schnitzel, wurst, and (of course) potatoes, topped off with apfel strudel. Today maybe we earned it.
After breakfast and a quick side trip to feed the reindeer, we set out on the day's hike.
Our first stop was the monument high over the Rhine, commemorating the unification of Germany in 1871 by Kaiser Wilhelm. A move that's still bitterly resented by Herbert, my Bavarian guide in Munich.
After we resumed our march, I was pretty sure we were lost yet again, but Kate was sure she knew the way. This time she turned out to be right.
Now here's the kind of thing that interests me. Did you know that in Europe they have practically no tow trucks? If you break down, a Triple A type guy shows up with a van full of tools and parts. If he can't fix what ails your car on the spot, he just hooks you up to a tow bar. You ride in your car and steer on the way to the garage. They can do that because almost all the cars are quite small and light weight.
Back to the hike.
Along the way, we came upon an enormous youth hostel overlooking Rudesheim and the river, where you can get a private double room with private bath for $60 a night. Next time.....
Finally, after two-plus hours we reached the town of Rudesheim.
We paused to get our bearings and to drink lots of water and diet coke, and decided to take the boat down river to St. Goar, where the best castle is.
As we started out, we got a nice view of the unification monument we had hiked to earlier, and of some of the vineyards where Riesling and other famous varieties of wine grapes are grown.
In case you didn't know, the Rhine Valley is all about castles. We saw MANY castles on our short (12 miles or so) trip down the river. Kate kept track of which castle was which with an assist from Rick Steves, but don't ask me the names of any of them now. Most of the castles were built by robber barons. They would stretch chains across the river and demand a toll from the ships to let them pass. The trip down the river must have been slower than driving on German highways in the rain on weekends.
The boat trip gave us a good view of how the vineyards are planted even on the very steepest of slopes on each side of the Rhine.
We arrived in St. Goar, and we could glimpse Rheinsfeld Burg high at the top of the hill in the distance.
I noted that there was a funky little tourist tram, but Kate said it would be more fun to walk up to the castle.
When I looked back at the trail after a half hour or so, I thought fondly of the little tourist tram.
Rheinfels Burg has been around since the 1200s. At one point it withstood a siege by 28,ooo French troops -- but some years later the French Revolutionary Army took the castle, and then blew it up. It's been a ruin ever since, although part of it has been rebuilt and now houses a hotel and restaurant.
From the castle there is an excellent view of the Rhine. What you hear about is the beautiful Rhine, romantic, lined with castles, etc. All true, but the river originates in Basel, Switzerland and winds all the way through Switzerland, Germany, and the Netherlands to Rotterdam Harbor and the North Sea. Rotterdam is Europe's most important harbor. The Rhine is like a superhighway for tankers, container ships, and other cargo vessels. The current is so strong that often the ships have to go up river under tow.
Back to the castle. We toured the ruins of the defensive battlements where crossbows were used and hot pitch was poured down on hapless invaders, we entered the dungeon, the slaughter room (animals, I think), the pantry and wine cellar, to name but a few places we covered. The Burg could accommodate 6,000 people if under siege -- usually around 600 people lived there.
Making our way back south, we took a ferry across the river and then caught a train to Rudesheim.
Having arrived back in Rudesheim, we found a nice German restaurant and had hefty German meals of schnitzel, wurst, and (of course) potatoes, topped off with apfel strudel. Today maybe we earned it.
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