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18 Days Through Europe
In An Audi
Rhine River Castles and Heidelberg
The day began chilly
and looking a bit gray and cloudy as we drove north to Ruedesheim near
Mainz in Germany. At Bingen, we took the ferry across the Rhine to
Ruedesheim not realizing that there was a stop in Bingen for the river
cruise as well. There are a couple of large boats that do day trips along
the Rhine. We had originally found K-D Cruises on the web but when we
arrived in Ruedesheim, we saw a very nice ship with two indoor decks and
one open observation deck on top that was about to leave shortly and
covered the area of the Along this area between the two towns are more than two dozen castles and fortresses that can be seen from the river. Remember "mad King Ludwig"? He built a lot of castles in Germany, the most famous being the one at Neuschwanstein. There is a little castle that sits right in the middle of the Rhine that was built by him. If I understood correctly it had something to do with being able to tax those who crossed the river--a little income for all that castle building. Some of the castles have been renovated and turned into B&Bs.
About midway through
our two hour cruise to ST. Goarshausen, the clouds gave way to sunshine
and the air began to warm. Bob and Dick ventured out onto the observation
deck from time to time to take pictures. Polly and I
Just before St. Goarshausen a large wall of rock juts out from the shore. Below it on a small outcropping sits the statue of a woman combing her long hair. It commemorates the legend of the Lorelei. It is said that she had long golden hair and sat on the rock singing while she combed her tresses. Of course this was in the area where the fast moving river narrows and the distracted boatsmen were doomed when they hit the shallow reefs. Upon our return to Rudesheim, we spent some time exploring. The split timbered architecture of the old German towns are delightful to see and often are painted with symbols or scenes that are works of art.
We drove out of
Rudesheim and crossed the river by bridge bypassing the large industrial
city of Mainz on our way to the university town of Heidelberg. We settled
into the Best Western Rega which was a short walk from the historic city
center. With some guidance from the front desk we found a very old
historic German restaurant, the
Gueldenes
Schaf. And, of course, we had Wiener Schnitzel.
The next day was
scheduled to be our laundry day. We were in desperate need of one. The
first few days of our trip had been warmer than we expected and we had
gone through most of the clean clothes. The first self serve laundry we
found was closed for repairs. We were kindly directed a bit farther down
the street and around the corner to a smaller one that was extremely busy
picking up the business from the closed shop. We found
The laundry done and
stashed back in our rooms, we were free to explore Heidelberg. We began
with lunch at an outdoor cafe near the large Church of the Holy Ghost.
After all doesn't a tour group march on its stomach...or maybe that was an
army...hmm. In the middle of lunch the bells began to peal with a clear
deep tone that resonated throughout the city. Polly and Dick suggested we
explore the
castle first. We found a bus to take us to the top of the hill where
the castle
After a mid
afternoon cappuccino break, we returned to the historic city center and
wandered around the
Holy Ghost Church. At the base, built between the supporting
structures surrounding the church, were numerous souvenir booths. We
circled the base and found the entrance to the church and a sign that told
us we had just missed an organ concert. Huge columns stood in rows
supporting the roof that towered over our heads. The stained glass windows
rose up to match the height of the columns and all combined to make you
feel very small and insignificant compared to the grandeur they exhibited.
As I walked past the columns, they seemed to glide by and for a moment I
imagined myself in grand clothes, maybe those of a queen about to receive
her crown, walking to the altar for the coronation ceremony. I almost made
it but my dreaming was interrupted by the urgent call to move on. There
was more to see. We walked a few blocks to the old bridge that crosses the Neckar river and admired the old bridge gate before starting back in the direction of our hotel to hunt for food. For an unexpected stop, Heidelberg had turned out to be very rewarding. It pays to be flexible.
Germany's Romantic Road (Romantische Strasse)
©Karen Robbins All text and photos on this page are copyrighted in my name. Please obtain permission for use.
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Rhine we wished to see. The name of the company was
enjoyed sipping
our warm coffees and watching the castles slip by through the huge
glassed walls of the ship. The scenery looked like pages out of a fairy
tale book. 
ourselves
surrounded mostly by university students but everyone was kind enough to
wait a turn and give us help when we needed it. The settings on the
washers were a little different than we were used to but everything came
out the same size and color that it went in. 
overlooks the city (a new tram was being built). The existence of the
castle dates back to the 14th century. It is a curious combination of
Baroque and Renaissance architecture. Large sections have been destroyed
but it's size is still overwhelming. The gardens provide a peaceful place
to stroll and look down over the Neckar river
to the city
below. 