Rhine river cruise

Tuesday 20th September

Today we set off early to catch the boat for our cruise down the Rhine. We sat on the top deck of the large boat and it was quite chilly to begin with as it was only 9.30 am, but as the day progressed the sun came out and it was very pleasant. The Rhine is the third longest river in Europe but by far the busiest and as we travelled we were passing huge river barges every kilometre or so. They come from all over Europe and are used to transport all sorts of products. The river meanders down a valley that rises very steeply on either side and has vineyards growing up the sides of the very steep hills and it was beautiful scenery and tranquil. This is Riesling territory where unlike Australia they manufacture a dry, semi-dry and sweet variety of Riesling. I later had a chance to taste all three at a wine tasting and like all of them but surprisingly liked the sweet best. The Rhine in this territory is very pretty with the vineyards and every couple of kilometres there is an old castle set into the hillside. Some were ruins, but some were still in use today. Also regularly along the river there were villages which were just like fairytale picture postcards. Beautiful!! Many of the towns and castles along the route had stories associated with them from events that took place many years ago. We saw where the temptress Loreley used to sit on the side of the river combing her hair and the homesick sailors would come around and be distracted by this beautiful girl and their boats would flounder on the rocks as this area is situated on an s-bend in the river and it is impossible to see what is in front of you. The castles date back to the 11th and 12 Centuries but many of them were destroyed by marauding invaders and then re-instated by the conquerors as these were used as an essential form of defence. The trip lasted two hours and during that time we saw six river cruise liners that take passengers through different countries along the Rhine. Eventually we docked at one of the little towns on the banks of the river and caught our coach to the large Marksburg Castle, one of the best examples of an 11th Century Castle in Europe.

On our journey to the castle we drove up a very narrow winding road which allowed vehicles to travel both up and down and at times the bus was virtually touching both sides of the road with a ravine on our right side. We held our breath!! The reason the castle is in such good condition is because it has never come under attack, although it has changed hands approximately six times and is still lived in today. As we entered we were walking on very rough stone pavements then walked up to the battlements where they had cannons facing out onto the Rhine. These haven’t been fired in anger however, but were used to announce the arrival of the king. As we continued to walk around, we came across a garden that was planted with fruit and vegetables that were in use during the time it was built. Then we came across the toilet system which was built out from the wall in which people sat on the toilet seat and there wasn’t anything under them, so whatever they did would fall into the garden. When we went inside, we came to the main bedroom and saw the four poster bed that was used by the husband and wife. It was very small and the reason was that people were afraid to lie down to sleep as only dead people lay flat, so they slept in a sitting position. Next we moved into the dining room here was a long table and immediately next to it was the toilet which didn’t have a door on it so people could go there and continue a conversation with those at the table. It was a most interesting visit and when the tour finished we had our lunch at the castle sitting outside in the beautiful sunshine.

Next on to the bus and on to a wine tasting at a local place in one of the nearby towns Rudesheim. Here we learnt all about the history of wine growing in the local area and sampled three types of Riesling wine. I enjoyed this very much. Then did some window shopping in the local shops and returned to the hotel for an early night as we leave tomorrow at 7.30 am for Holland (Amsterdam) – quite a long day on the road!

Hopefully we will be able to write more from Amsterdam – here’s hoping!