2014-14 Cruising the Rhine River, Germany
Hello All,
We cruised through the night and arrived at Wertheim, Germany, at about 9 am. It was scheduled to be a short stop so we chose to sleep in and have a late breakfast. It felt good to kickback and leisurely enjoy our morning. Shortly after lunch our ship dropped lines and we departed for Koblenz, Germany.
We sat on the top deck and watched the beautiful German countryside pass by. What a wonderfully relaxing day it was. In the late afternoon German tea was served in the lounge with a variety of cakes to enjoy. We continued sailing down the Main River passing Frankfurt, Germany late at night.
Early the next morning, at Mainz, Germany, we cruised out of the mouth of the Main River into the Rhine River. Downstream a few miles from Mantz we entered what is known as the Middle Rhine River Valley. This picturesque river valley has precipitous cliffs with a castle perched on virtually every hilltop, and quaint villages lining the river banks.
Myths and legends abound in this area, such as the story of the Lorelei, the beautiful siren of the rocks that lured sailors to their doom.
Steep vineyards line the valley hillsides. These vineyards produce the famous Rhine wines. In the Romantic era, the Rhine not only carried goods and people from many different countries, but was also a channel for a wealth of cultural influences and ideas; the religious buildings along the river are an elegant testimony to this.
In recognition of its status as one of the world’s oldest and most magnificent cultural landscapes, UNESCO declared the Upper Middle Rhine Valley a World Heritage Site in 2002, stating that it is of “outstanding universal value.” We thought it was simply beautiful.
We cruised through the night and arrived at Wertheim, Germany, at about 9 am. It was scheduled to be a short stop so we chose to sleep in and have a late breakfast. It felt good to kickback and leisurely enjoy our morning. Shortly after lunch our ship dropped lines and we departed for Koblenz, Germany.
We sat on the top deck and watched the beautiful German countryside pass by. What a wonderfully relaxing day it was. In the late afternoon German tea was served in the lounge with a variety of cakes to enjoy. We continued sailing down the Main River passing Frankfurt, Germany late at night.
Early the next morning, at Mainz, Germany, we cruised out of the mouth of the Main River into the Rhine River. Downstream a few miles from Mantz we entered what is known as the Middle Rhine River Valley. This picturesque river valley has precipitous cliffs with a castle perched on virtually every hilltop, and quaint villages lining the river banks.
Myths and legends abound in this area, such as the story of the Lorelei, the beautiful siren of the rocks that lured sailors to their doom.
Steep vineyards line the valley hillsides. These vineyards produce the famous Rhine wines. In the Romantic era, the Rhine not only carried goods and people from many different countries, but was also a channel for a wealth of cultural influences and ideas; the religious buildings along the river are an elegant testimony to this.
In recognition of its status as one of the world’s oldest and most magnificent cultural landscapes, UNESCO declared the Upper Middle Rhine Valley a World Heritage Site in 2002, stating that it is of “outstanding universal value.” We thought it was simply beautiful.
This is the village of
Bacharach. High upon the hill in the background is Stahleck Castle. It dates
from the 12th century.
As our ship cruised around a
bend in the river we could get a better view of the Stahleck Castle. Note how
the vineyard rows all run vertical. We were informed that they do this to allow
colder air to flow up and down the hillsides easier. This prevents colder air
from being trapped at lower elevations which could damage the
grapes—interesting concept.
Near Rudesheim we passed Niederwald
Monument. It stands 125 feet tall and represents the union of all Germany. The
monument was constructed to commemorate the foundation of the German Empire
after the end of the Franco-Prussian War. The first stone was laid on September
16, 1871.
While cruising on the Yangtze
River in China a few years back Dave was talking to a fellow passenger. He
asked if we were interested in any other Viking cruises. Dave responded with “We
would like to do the Grand European cruise.” The guy said “Oh, you want to do
the ABC cruise.” Dave asked what he meant by ABC cruise. He said a group of his
friends and he did the cruise the previous year and around every bend in the
river was “Another Beautiful Castle,” hence, they
nicknamed it the ABC cruise.
We would have to agree that the Middle Rhine seems to have a castle around every bend. Here are a few photos of some of them. The first is Castle Sooneck which dates back to the 13th century.
We would have to agree that the Middle Rhine seems to have a castle around every bend. Here are a few photos of some of them. The first is Castle Sooneck which dates back to the 13th century.
Next is Katz Castle near the
town of St. Goarshausen. This magnificent castle stands on a ledge and looks
down at the river below. It was first built around 1371. The castle was
bombarded in 1806 by Napoleon and rebuilt in 1896–98.
Here is a closer shot of Katz
Castle.
Next is Reichenstein Castle near the village of Trechtingshausen.
It dates back to the 13th century. In the foreground in the
following photo is St. Clement’s Chapel with Reichenstein Castle higher up on
the hill.
St. Clement's Chapel dates back
to the 8th century and sits right on the banks of the Rhine River. We thought
it was quite lovely.
Love the vines growing up the walls of Reichenstein
castle.
Also in the same area is Rheinstein
Castle, which is from the 14th century. The castle was constructed
around 1316. It was important for its strategic location. However, by 1344, the
castle was in decline. During the romantic period in the 19th century, Prince
Frederick of Prussia (1794–1863) bought the castle and rebuilt it.
As we approached the medieval
town of Oberwesel we could see Schonburg Castle high upon the hill above it.
Also, in the foreground on the right is the beautiful Gothic Church of our
Lady.
Schonburg Castle was built in
the 12th century and as with most castles it has had ups and downs
over the centuries. The castle is currently owned by the town of Oberwesel and
is being operated as a hotel. You can see where the castle has had many
additions built onto it over the years using different mediums of construction.
Completed in the 14th
century the Church of our Lady with its impressive architecture and furnishings
is regarded as one of the foremost Gothic churches in the Rhineland region of
Germany.
Pfalzgrafenstein Castle is a
“toll castle” located on Falkenau Island near Kaub, Germany. It was built by
King Ludwig the Bavarian in the 14th century. On the hill in the
background is Gutenfels Castle.
Gutenfels Castle was built in
1220. It was used with Pfalzgrafenstein Castle in the middle of the Rhine, and
the fortified town of Kaub on the far side of the river to provide an
impenetrable toll zone for the Holy Roman Emperor until Prussia purchased the
area in 1866. Prussia ended the toll in 1867.
As we cruised down the river
we were in awe of the sheer beauty of the area. The small towns and villages of
the Middle Rhine area were immaculate in our eyes. Pride of ownership was quite
evident--as demonstrated in the following photo of Kamp Bornhofen, Germany. On
the left in the photo is St. Nikolaus Catholic Church.
In our next little blurb we
will pick-up on our adventures in Koblenz, Germany, and cruising on down the Lower
Rhine River. Hope to have you onboard with us.
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns