Saturday, September 21, 2013

Europe 2013 – Day 6

August 28th – Upper Middle Rhine Valley, Rüdesheim

Weather – mostly sunny and warm.

Today Margaret-Ann and John set sail from Boppard to complete their trip through the romantic Upper Middle Rhine Valley (the downstream end is Koblenz where they started their trip yesterday). The Upper Middle Rhine Valley, or Rhine Gorge, is a 65 km section of the River Rhine between Koblenz and Bingen/Rüdesheim. It was added to the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in June 2002.

They started sailing upstream to Rüdesheim at 8:00 a.m., passing more than twenty castles sitting high up on the very steep gorge walls -- absolutely breathtaking! At 10:00 a.m., a Frühschoppen (“second breakfast” in Bavaria) with four kinds of sausage, three different mustards, sauerkraut and weissbier (an unfiltered wheat beer) was served in the L’Orangerie… the top-deck mini restaurant on the S.S. Antoinette – delicious!

After docking in Rüdesheim around 1:00 p.m. Margaret-Ann and John left the ship and strolled through the old town area, including walking up and down the Drosselgasse (Party Lane) with its many taverns, restaurants and shops.

Later in the afternoon they boarded a bus for a short trip to Castle Vollrads -- an 800 year-old wine estate in this area known as the Rhinegau which specializes in Riesling grapes -- for a wine tasting.

Back on board the ship, dinner was once again delicious with German style apple strudel for dessert.

Roll the cursor over the pictures to read the captions. Click on a picture to enlarge it, then click on the back arrow button in the top left to return to the blog.

Leaving Boppard and sailing up the Rhine aboard the S.S. Antoinette. August 28, 2013Maus (Mouse) Castle at Wellmich on the Rhine. August 28, 2013Sailing up the Rhine between Wellmich and St. Goar. Augusst 28, 2013Rheinfels Castle at St. Goar on the Rhine. August 28, 2013Rheinfels Castle at St. Goar on the Rhine. August 28, 2013Katz (Cat) Castle above the town of St. Goarshausen on the Rhine. August 28, 2013The Loreley rock on the eastern bank of the Rhine near St. Goarshausen soars some 120 metres above the waterline and marks the narrowest part of the river between Switzerland and the North Sea. August 28, 2013Sailing toward Oberwesel on the Rhine River. August 28, 2013Sailing past Oberwesel with Schönburg Castle (now a hotel) atop the Rhine River Gorge. august 28, 2013Sailing past Schönburg Castle (now a hotel) atop the Rhine River Gorge near Oberwesel. august 28, 2013Pfalzgrafenstein Castle (a toll castle) on Pfalz Island in the Rhine river near Kaub. August 28, 2013Sailing up the Rhine near Kaub. August 28, 2013Stahleck Castle above the town of Bacharach on the west bank of the Rhine. August 28, 2013The Rheinstein Castle on the west bank of the Rhine near the town Trechtingshausen. August 28, 2013Vineyards of the Rheingau on the east banks of the Rhine just north of Rüdesheim. August 28, 2013Ehrenfels Castle above the Rhine Gorge near the town of Rüdesheim. August 28, 2013Ehrenfels Castle above the Rhine Gorge near the town of Rüdesheim. August 28, 2013The Mouse Tower (Mäuseturm), a stone tower on a small island in the Rhine, outside Bingen. August 28, 2013The Niederwald monument Germania above Rüdesheim. August 28, 2013Drosselgasse marker ("party lane" with taverns and restaurants) in Rüdesheim. August 28, 2013Margaret-Ann walking the Drosselgasse ("party lane" with taverns and restaurants) in Rüdesheim. August 28, 2013Shops along  Rüdesheim's Drosselgasse ("party lane" with taverns and restaurants). August 28, 2013Half-timbered shops and restaurants in Rüdesheim. August 28, 2013Flowers planted in an old tricycle at a restaurant in Rüdesheim. August 28, 2013Siegfried's Mechanisches Musikkabinett (Mechanical Music Cabinet) museum in Rüdesheim. August 28, 2013Boosenburg Castle in Rüdesheim. August 28, 2013Schloss Vollards is a wine estate in the Rheingau near Rüdesheim that has been operating for more that 800 years. August 28, 2013Schloss Vollards is a wine estate in the Rheingau near Rüdesheim that has been operating for more that 800 years. August 28, 2013Schloss Vollards is a wine estate in the Rheingau near Rüdesheim that has been operating for more that 800 years. August 28, 2013Schloss Vollards is a wine estate in the Rheingau near Rüdesheim that has been operating for more that 800 years. August 28, 2013

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