We docked in Rudesheim during breakfast. Jan and I were here two years ago .. then cruising 'upriver' from Amsterdam. On that trip we took the gondola up to see the German national monument built in the late 1800's. Today we'll walk around town on our own.
The monument is to the left, and you can see the gondola snaking up the hill. Starting in 1031, forests were cleared and vineyard growth was promoted by the archbishop. Because of its position on the Rhine River Rudesheim was an important shipping point for its wine production for hundreds of years.
It's a very interesting town. Here's some pics.
We walked back to the ship and watched some of King Charles' coronation ceremony until it was time for lunch and time to shove off for cruising down the most scenic part of the Rhine Gorge. There are over 20,000 castles in Germany! A lot of the most scenic ones are here in the UNESCO World Heritage Upper Middle Rhine Valley. I tried to get a few good pics in tough, cloudy, iffy lighting skies.
This is Burg Stahleck, in the town of Bacharach.
Most of these castles were built in the 12th and 13th centuries. And most of them were damaged in 1689 when the French army under King Louis XIV went up and down the river trying to take control of the region. And re-built in the 1800's.
This is Pfalzgrafenstein, built on an island, behind it is Burg Gutenfels.
This is Schonburg in the town of Oberwesel.
This the Burg Rheinfels, a large one!, in the town of St.Goar.
This the Burg Maus, in the town of Wellmich.
This is the very cute town of Boppard. It has a very scenic river promenade. We were close to our 5-pm destination of Lahnstein and our visit of Lahneck Castle. But first .. Castle Stolzenfels came into view :
The ship docked in Lahnstein and it started to rain sideways when we walked to our bus for the ride up to Lahneck Castle.
This was the inner courtyard :
The castle also had a chapel.
Great view from the top :
Very interesting to see the inside of a castle. We were able to do so because in 1850 it was sold to Edward Moriarty of England and has been in private hands since. Back on the bus and back to the ship for dinner.
Sat with our new-found friends from Canada and Cornelius and had a lot of fun!
appetizer : freshly cut white asparagus, hollandaise sauce, parma ham, sprouts
main course : pan fried breaded escalope of veal, cranberries marmalade, cucumer salad, parsley potatoes
and .. dessert : apple stuffed strudel dough, vanilla sauce, vanilla ice cream
It was Dorothy's birthday (husband: Jim) and the crew brought the table a cake!
They're from .. New Westminster, British Columbia.
A perfect way to end the day .. with friends enjoying many stories and laughs.
Tomorrow we arrive in Dusseldorf for more adventures!
Take care, Jan & Joe
Spargel season!
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