Melissa's Amusings: Germany Vacation- The Romantic Rhine

After a lengthy discussion of where we should go on our next day trip, we decided that a river cruise on the Rhine sounded like fun. We picked a day that had a higher chance of some sun (no rain) and used some of the info from our discussions, Germany Guide Books, and the internet to come up with a plan. We would cruise the Romantic Rhine Valley from Bingen to St. Goar. Along this stretch of the Rhine we would get to see quite a few castles, and at St. Goar we would also be able to explore Rheinfels Castle. Thanks to the internet, we even knew what time the Bingen-Rudesheimer cruise company started in the morning and where we could park :-)
Our daytrip starts without a hitch, so we arrive at Bingen with plenty of time to spare. We were very happy that the only obstacle we encountered was short-lived...waiting at a train crossing on our walk from the parking lot to the cruise line.

RR Crossing gates are heavy duty here...have to work pretty hard to sneak across one!

ICE trains travel at very high speed and fewer stops than the regular trains.

With the 45 minutes before boarding time, we relax and enjoy the scenery along the riverside promenade. Scenes of a castle and vineyard increase my anticipation for our river cruise to begin!

Niederwald Monument- a tribute to German nationalism celebrating Prussia's victory in the Franco-Prussion war and the beginning of the German Reich. Both occurred in 1871.

Just in case tourists are wondering how far it is to Berlin?

Our cruise is about to begin and we are looking forward to traveling on the same trade route that was used during the Middle Ages. The Rhine was used for shipping between the North Sea and the Alps. Besides shipping, the river was also important for cultural exchanges to occur between the Mediterranean and Northern Europe. The "Middle Rhine" inspired many painters, writers, and musicians; between their works and tourism, this area of the Rhine is the most renowned. In 2002, the UNESCO selected the Middle Rhine (from Bingen to Koblenz) to represent the whole Rhine and added it to the World Heritage list.

The sun makes it look warm, but it is actually a bit nippy!

In order to get the best views and pictures, we decided we would rather be on the chilly/breezy top deck than the enclosed/warmer lower deck. The cruise begins and we settle in to enjoy the 1 1/2 -2 hrs of gliding by...

vineyards on steep slopes...

picturesque villages.....

Bingen

towers....

Mauseturm-a toll tower built 1856-1858. Now it is a pretty fancy signal tower and border marker for the Prussian Rhine province.

and castles.

Ehrenfels Castle has high strong walls and the outer wall of the great hall is still 3 stories tall.

During the mid 11th century, vineyards were established. The large volume of water in the Rhine river creates a micro-climate that keeps the temperature warm enough in early Spring and late Fall to extend the growing season necessary for vineyards.

Assmannshausen village

In no time at all, the cold breeze drove the other tourists to the warmer, lower deck and we had the whole top deck to ourselves....

so it was very easy to get a picture with an unobstructed view :-)

Although many of the castles we see look like they came straight out of an idyllic fairytale, the reason for them was not. From Bingen to Koblenz (about 40 miles) there are more than 40 Middle Aged castles, most were used as defensive structures. This large number indicates how important the Rhine was for carrying goods and services. Many of these castles were managed by 'robber barons'. They had a method of stopping cargo boats by raising chains that they had placed in the water and hold them until they paid a toll.

Rheinstein castle has a U-shaped ring wall that opened onto the Rhine.

Rheichenstein castle

13th century St. Clement's Chapel near Trechtingshausen

Trechtingshausen village

Sooneck castle along with Rheichenstein castle protected Trechtingshausen's estates near Aachen.

Village of Niederheimbach with Heimberg castle in the background. The archbishop of Mainz had this castle built between 1290-1305.

Village of Rheindiebach in foreground and Ruin Furstenberg, built in 1219, on hill slope.

One of my favorite parts of the cruise was seeing how long these little villages stretched along the Rhine!

Village of Lorchhausen- the starting point of the 'Rheingau Riesling Route'

We would just glide on by, while the angle of seeing the town ....

Neo-Gothic style Parish Church Bonifatius in foreground

kept changing. So many beautiful photos to be taken!!

Chapel Clemens on top of the hill

Stahleck Castle overlooking the village Bacharach

The area around Bacharach is especially good for wines

The 12th century Stahleck castle protected a 4 valley region around Bacharach. It is now a Hostel.

Couldn't ask for a better setting!

Besides being beautiful, the Rhine is....

the most important waterway in Germany. It is linked by canals to other major rivers in Northern Europe. Besides tourism transportation....

it is also used for shipping.

Near Kaub in the middle of the river on a small island, is Pfalzgrafstein, a boat shaped toll castle. King Ludwig had it built in 1326-1327 because of a toll dispute he had with Pope John XXII.

Pfalzgrafstein, Kaub, and Gutenfels castle

The Gutenfels castle built in 1226 is an example of the Staufin construction style with its symmetrical shape and mighty keep. Its original name was 'Cube Castle'.

Schonburg castle overlooking the village of Oberwesel was built in the 1st half the 12th century.

Looks like the pinkish-red bricks of the castle matches some of the Liebfrauenkirche's bricks.

In 1885 a New York millionaire bought the castle before it became a complete ruin. It is now a hotel.

Oberwesel would definitely be a fun place to stop at and explore. This village still has 3km of a medieval town wall (that you can walk on top of) and 16 defensive towers.

Oxen tower is on the right

The 'white church' is the 14th century St. Martinskirche, it has a tower that was once part of the town's defense structures.

Through these rugged mountainsides....

train tunnels have been built.

Train tunnel entrances with medieval turrets were made during the Romantic 19th century.

As we came nearer to the Loreley, the other passengers must have heard the fabled maiden's siren songs and lured them to the top deck.

This area of the Rhine is deep, narrow, and dangerous for watercraft. The Loreley rock is a 433 ft. slate cliff.

Looks like Nathaniel and Geoffrey still have good seats :-)

Some attractive buildings before we come to...

the village, St. Goarshausen with Katz castle high above.

Across the river from here is our destination, St. Goar....

with Rheinfels castle.

Rheinfels built in 1245 is the largest castle on the Rhine.

We go ashore and have an easy time of finding our way to the Rheinfels castle.

On our hike up the hillside we have great views to enjoy while we catch our breath.

Before we even get to the entry fee area....

we get an idea of why....

this castle is a favorite for many with its beautiful stonework and views.

This castle was built by Count Diether Yvon Katzenelnbogen to protect St. Goar's tax collectors. It became one of the mightiest fortresses in the Middle Rhine region. In 1692 it was able to stand up against an attack by 28,000 French troops. What we see today is a just a small part of what it used to be.

In order to also have lunch and catch the 2:00 boat back to Bingen, we allot an hour to explore this castle. So, the race is on to see as much as we can!

Entrance fee is paid and preparing to explore :-)

I wanted some of the boys by this sign....

but they would not stand still/pose for one. I kind of got one anyways :-) We received one castle map with the entrance fee, which we gave to Nathaniel to navigate us through a whirlwind tour of the castle!

Nathaniel deciding our plan of action

We begin by walking through the defense/outer areas of the castle. I liked all the arches.

After walking down stairs and...

up inclines...

we come to an overlook.

a good place to stop and take in the scenery

Through some more arches...

Duck Geoffrey!

and then it gets even more exciting, tunnels to explore!!!

In some areas the ceilings are pretty low!

Justin and Geoffrey liked checking out the darker and mustier side tunnels

Sometimes we would come back out into the light to check the map....

and see what we are missing outside the tunnels...

then go back in.

checking the map when light is available

Sometimes would have to duck for quite a ways....

Jim decided these tunnels were not for him and waited for us outside the tunnels.

A little bit further....

and we were back out in the light. More archways...

signs to indicate where we are on the map...

and intriguing steps to make us curious where they lead.

Walking alongside the battlement....

we eventually come to the dungeon?

The skeleton arm makes me think this may be the dungeon.

Another battlement area where we can see...

the openings in the wall for (crossbow?) shots to be fired....

and more beautiful archway stonework.

A few more scenes around the defense area...

and we check out the Big Cellar for storing wine and food.

A huge barrel of wine was placed in here for the soldiers.

Inside the cellar looking out

As tall as theses walls seem to be, originally they were 3 stories taller!

arches with detailed stonework mini arches....love it :-)

We now pass through into the 'Inner' Medieval castle.

Most of these pictures were taken from the inner courtyard...

and even though I am not sure of what exactly I am seeing...

With the map, Nathaniel may know what we are seeing....or is he planning where we go next? :-)

I had a very good time taking pictures!!!

Justin is looking in the wrong direction!!

Hmmm, I wonder if I have taken that picture/angle, yet ?

Geoffrey and Nathaniel looking for their next picture.

I think Geoffrey is ready to move on.

This illustration is not just for kids :-)

Leaving the courtyard area and...

on our way to the next area of the castle, these flowers growing on the wall grabbed my attention, of course :-)

The sky/clouds are looking quite dramatic!

Our last area of the castle involves going up....

and up the high battery to...

the 63 ft. clock tower....

where we have...

I should have moved Justin's jacket for a 'perfect' picture :-)

excellent views of....

the area around us.

looking down at the high battery

Last overall pic of the castle

We leave the castle and...

head back down the hillside to St. Goar. I stopped to take a couple last scenic shots.

Going back through town, I am tempted to stop and browse through the Cuckoo clock store, but we are a bit short of time.

Geoffrey bought his last souvenir for the trip.

This store had an overwhelming amount of steins to choose from.

We chose a restaurant with about 45 minutes left before our boat would leave. In Germany it is not a good idea to sit down for a meal when you have a time limit. Our drink orders were taken fairly fast......

and then we sat for quite awhile. There was some grumpiness about missing our 2:00 boat and I was blamed for it.....because I had stopped to take a picture of a flower on our way down from the castle!

I think this flower was worth missing the boat :-)

Nathaniel didn't see what the problem was; he said he was going to enjoy his tea and take the 4:00 boat :-)

After a short time, everyone was able to enjoy their drinks...

food...

and restaurant surroundings.

After our meal, we then had some time to walk around St. Goar. This town is named after a Celtic missionary that settled here in the 6th century. He took care of travelers, the sick, and the poor and became the patron saint of innkeepers.