Romantic Rhine series - Rhine Gorge & Loreley

Traveling up the Rhine, we encountered one of the most beautiful stretches of the river.  The section between Rudesheim to Koblenz.  This part of the Rhine has lovely landscapes, picturesque villages & towns, lush vineyards and more castles than I've ever seen.  

Once you make the turn (Rhine Gorge), you can see the famous Loreley Rock where captains wrecked their boats because of the song this golden haired maiden sang.  

Instead of having me describe the views, I'll let the pictures tell to story.

We began our voyage in the early morning hours, so the river was thick with fog.  It felt like we were back in San Francisco straining to get a glimpse of Alcatraz.  As we floated by each town, the fog began to lift and the photos capture a gorgeous view that we enjoyed as we stayed warm drinking German spiced wine (hey- it's noon somewhere).  Let's get started!

Ehrenfels Castle

Rheinstein castle

Reichenstein castle

Bacharach

Oberwesel

Pfalz Castle

Gutenfels Castle

The flag is the marker indicating we're approaching the Loreley.

Loreley Rock - Statue of the golden haired maiden

Boppard

Maus Castle

Sterrenberg & Liebenstein Castle

Koblenz

Here's a map showing the stretch of the Rhine that we traveled and the towns within driving distance if you decide to take the ferry and stop along the way.  Which I greatly recommend you doing.  Next stop is the town of Koblenz.
Happy Traveling!

Romantic Rhine series - Rudesheim

Rudesheim is one of Germany's best known wine towns.  Vines are cultivated on the steep banks of the Rhine.  Before we head up the hill for a better look, let's first visit the cozy & friendly town.

Drosselgasse:  The town is perfect for tourists.  Which apparently they get a lot of those.  We heard that 3 million tourists visit this town every year and I can see why.  Narrow streets wind through town, letting you meander along stopping for a glass of wine, the yummy Rudesheimer Coffee or do some Christmas ornament shopping.

We chose to stop at a small restaurant to sample the "coffee".  The drink is served hot with coffee, some kind of liquor and chocolate which they light it on fire and put it out with heavy whip cream.  I have NO IDEA how many calories this drink was, but that's what vacations are for - to try new things.  This drink was tasty, but a little lethal if you have more than two.

Next, we visited the Museum of Mechanical Musical Instruments: This museum has lots to look at, from cute to really odd musical instruments.  It's a unique and expensive collection.

We decided to take the chair lift to see the statue of Germania.  This statue is made from 32 tons of bronze and was cast in 1883 to celebrate the German unification 12 years prior.  It's called the Niederwald Monument.

Niederwald Monument

Burg Ehrenfels:  After visiting the monument, it's an easy stroll through the vineyards to this romantic ruin that has great views of the "Mouse Tower" toward Bingen with it's own fortress, Burg Klopp. It's started getting dark, so we decided to make this a brisk stroll.

Rudesheim is the perfect German town to visit during the warm summer months.  Known for their white wine and beautiful river views, this town is tourist friendly.  I would definitely go back and stay a couple of nights at one of the boutique hotels.  Remember, the Rhine is not only beautiful it's also a way to get up or down the river.  They offer commute ferries (hop on/hop off) that are inexpensive and allow you to use Rudesheim as an affordable place to sleep while enjoying all the cities along the Rhine.

Don't miss the next post as we show you a glimpse at the most famous part of the Rhine - the Rhine Gorge.

Happy Traveling!

Romantic Rhine series - Mainz, Germany

We didn't get to stay too long in Mainz, but we found the town to be quaint and full of history.  Mainz is strategically located at the confluence of the Rhine and Main Rivers.  It's currently known as Germany's largest and most important wine market.  We visited the Altstadt or Old Town for most of the day.

Gutenberg Museum:  Father of modern printing and the inventor of the movable type, we were entertained as we watched them recreate how the first newsletters were designed.

Cathedral (Dom):  Most of the church was built in the 12th century, but they continued to add to it in the 18th century.  Inside the courtyard was a really pretty and peaceful place to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee and let the birds have the left over bites of a croissant.  

Church of St. Stephen:  So worth the walk up the steep hill to see this Gothic church.  Once we arrived to the church, we discovered the largest collection of Marc Chagall windows that I've ever seen.  Not even in Paris is there such a large collection in one church.

Next stop is Rudesheim.  Truly one of my favorite stops that we made on the Rhine.


Happy Traveling!

Romantic Rhine series - Heidelberg - Pure Romance

Heidelberg Germany has so much character & history.  Mostly known for the college in town, we found the castle extremely well preserved and the town offered LOTS of shopping opportunities.

Let's start at the top of town, the castle (Schloss), with some of the breathtaking views of the town and river Rhine.

Schloss

Here's a photo of what the castle originally looked like.  It gives you a better idea of the damage caused by the French during years of battles.  Also, it made us appreciate how well preserved this castle still is in 2015.

Next, let's head into town, try some beer and sausage and do some shopping!

Marktplatz

The cookie that this store makes is famous.  It's called the Knosel - 1863

Old Bridge

We did a lot of sightseeing, shopping and trying local foods and beers.  One of my favorite new discoveries was the Knosel "student's kiss" cookie.  It's a short bread cookie dipped in either dark or milk chocolate.  The cookie was seen as a gallant token of affection that not even the chaperones could object.  The students and young ladies had a discret way to send a sweet message in form of a Student's Kiss.

We found Heidelberg to be a very romantic town.  Not sure if that's because of the history, quaint buildings, smells of good food & sweet treats or the fact that it's nesttled along the Romantic Rhine, but it's a town I would visit again and again.

Happy Traveling!!  Next stop on the Rhine is Mainz.

Romantic Rhine series - The Black Forest

Schwarzwald, Germany (The Black Forest)

Nestled in the Black Forest are some of the most beautiful views.  We start our tour of this area in the Black Forest Open Air Museum (Heritage approved).  It's a quaint village of homes, carefully preserved for visitors to enjoy.  We start at the original house with a thatched roof built in 1612.

The reason why these homes were so special is because they were the first of their kind that had one solid roof.  Allowing the living quarters and barn to be under the same roof.  During cold winters, it helped to have the livestock/barn under the same roof and the rest of the house.  We had a great time walking from house to house along the walking paths.  The weather was so perfect when we were there, they had a lot of locals enjoying the museum with their family.

The kids loved the apple cider and chasing the animals rooming the grounds. 

Next stop on our tour was the cuckoo clock shop (House of Black Forest Clocks).  This shop is family owned and the cuckoo clocks are made to order by Adolf Herr.  One of the nicest men I've ever met.  His family greets you at the door with some cherry wine, provided us the best Black Forest cake and some yummy cherry liquor.  We had a terrific time at his shop and wanted to share the experience with a few photos that we took while shopping for souvenirs.

Where did the time go?  Next stop is Heidelberg, Germany.

Happy Traveling!