After returning home from Switzerland, the very next day we set off on a Rhine cruise from our Wiesbaden port. The trip takes you downstream towards the northwest, past acres and acres of vineyards. This stretch of the river is called the Romantic Rhine because of all the castles and well-preserved towns along the way. This was the northern-most boundary of the Roman Empire and one of the busiest shipping rivers. Many of the castles were placed there to extract tolls from the river traffic. Most of these castles were built in the 11th-13th centuries.
We stopped in the classic Rhine town of St. Goar where we had lunch among the ruins of Rheinfels Castle overlooking the river. Us girls found a shoe store selling only Birkenstocks.... we all bought a pair. So much for Romantic Rhine. We then jumped on the next boat heading north to Koblenz. This town was established during Roman times and in Latin means "confluence." It is situated where the Mosel River joins the Rhine. The town was bustling because of an annual European flower show (BUGA) that Koblenz was chosen to host this year.
Funny you should ask about our hotel. In Europe, you have no idea what you are booking... pictures can be deceiving. Since the town was inundated, we expected our pickings were slim. Once we checked in, we couldn't find 2 of the rooms because they were hidden between floors (another good reason to have a local Konigsbacher beer). This made the bathroom interesting... in order to use the sink, the door must be shut so you have room to turn around. The next day we set off back home up the Rhine against the current. This made for a longer trip so we were in for an 8-hour boat ride. Luckily, Pete bought a deck of cards before leaving town so, no worries, we played Hearts and Rat all the way home.
The next day was Saturday which meant the opening of the Wiesbaden Rheingau Wine Festival. During the day, we took in the farmers market and by night found new friends all over town to party with. The festival is held for 10 days with live music held on 3 stages every night. The music was just right for our group - lots of classic rock sung in perfect English by German cover bands. We ended the night at our local fave Irish Pub with live acoustic music and.... beer.
On Sunday, Mary took a break and Pete took our guests to Schloss Vollrads vineyard outstide the town of Oestrich-Winkel just down the Rhine from Wiesbaden. We sampled their Sommer wine and promptly found their booth that night at the wine festival among 100 other Rheingau vintners.
By Monday, we went downtown for last minute shopping on the day before our friends needed to leave for home. Of course, we came back for one more night at the Festival to get our Flammkuchen fix (pizza-like thin crust with creme sauce, bits of ham, cheese and topped with fresh Arugula). It was a full and festive week with friends from home. Tschus!
 |
| It must be noon somewhere |
 |
| One of the many cliff-hanging castles along the Rhine |
 |
| A scenic town along the Rhine |
 |
| Having lunch in Rheinfels Castle above St. Goar |
 |
| Only surviving castle along the Rhine - Marksburg |
 |
| A castle surrounded by vineyards above the Rhine |
 |
| Schloss Stolzenfels near Koblenz |
 |
| Pete enjoying his family namesake wine (almost) at the Rheingau Wine Festival |
 |
| Tim, Keith, Pete, and Agnes - our friends from England |
 |
| Behind the stage, Blind Willie Rounds played air harp with the band |
 |
| This guy is dancing with his 2 daughters simultaneously... I wanted to cut in. |
 |
| A little bit of South Dakota jitterbug in Wiesbaden |
 |
| The group enjoying the riches of the Rheingau region |
 |
| Girls just wanna have fun.... again |
No comments:
Post a Comment