Author: kyotesue

The Black Forest from the window of a bus

The mythical Black Forest of Germany was another location that Deborah was especially excited to see.  I have never actually asked her why, but for me, it is the background of all the fairy tales of dark forests and knights and princesses and scary beings that reside in the shadows.  

We had read enough about our cruise to understand that our time in the actual forest would be limited. We knew that much of the tour we had scheduled for the afternoon would be on a bus, looking out the windows toward this magically beautiful part of Germany.

Another bus window shot of what could have easily been the foothills of the Cascades

Before I continue, though, let me just say that the hills and mountains of the Black Forest in Germany were very nearly indistinguishable from the hills and mountains of parts of Oregon. When I talked to Mo’s SIL Chere about it, she told me that her grandparents settled in Oregon because it reminded them so much of their home in the Black Forest. But before I begin the tale of our day, I need to return to the previous afternoon after we boarded Gersemi once again to travel up the Rhine toward Briesach.

This was the day that Viking chose to celebrate our cruise with a specialty dinner.  Even though our day was spent in France, the majority of the trip was in Germany, so a French dinner wasn’t in the cards.  Taste of Germany was held in the dining room a bit later than our usual dinner.  I would imagine that was to allow plenty of time for some pre-dinner entertainment in the lounge.  

Nancy dressed up in her traditional Bavarian costume, making many jokes about how it no longer fits quite like it did when she first purchased the dirndl skirt and apron.  We saw a side of Nancy that until now wasn’t apparent:  she had a great sense of humor and was really good at delivering her stories with perfect timing.  

After some fun and silliness, Nancy settled down to business, first telling us about the day to come, and then giving the “disembarkation talk”, with instructions as to how we would exit the ship as the cruise came to a close.  Instructions were a bit different for those of us who planned to continue with the Viking cruise extension to Switzerland.  The week had flown by, and I was grateful that our time wasn’t coming to an end so quickly.  

The German dinner was enjoyable.  The tables were decorated with many types of mustard and pretzels, and the mood was festive.  I did enjoy a good German beer to begin my meal before we walked to the long lines around the buffet tables to be served. I wish I had made a list of everything that was offered.  There was more than one kind of schnitzel and sauerbraten, two dishes that I am familiar with.  Warm German potato salad was alongside many kinds of cheese and sausages.  The company at our table was festive and happy, and we all laughed a lot.  Maybe that is why the meal didn’t seem all that memorable, or maybe I am just not a fan of German food.  I do remember really loving the beer and truly loving all the many kinds of cheese, especially the traditional muenster that was creamy and delicious.

The dessert table was huge, and I don’t remember labels on any of the items lined up on the trays so beautifully.  I took a bit of this and a bit of that and don’t remember any of it. 

We were still finishing our dinner when we entered another set of locks, with the walls visible through the dining room windows.

Then, suddenly there was another riverboat beside us in the locks.  I can’t express just how strange the lock experience is on the river.  It was nothing at all like going through the Panama Canal on a huge ship. Deb and I lingered a bit after supper, with some drinks and conversation before we went down to our stateroom.  However, it was impossible to sleep because the ship was going through several locks as the elevation of the river was rising and more locks were necessary.

Around 9, Deb and I decided to go up to the top deck to watch the ship travel through the locks.  The night was magical, not as cold as it had been, and with a full moon rising in the east. There are ten locks between Amsterdam and Basel on the Rhine, but most of them are on the upper portion of the river.  This makes perfect sense since the elevation of the landscape begins rising more dramatically as the river approaches Switzerland.

The lady on the stairs is on our ship and the lady in red is on our neighbor ship

We got a big kick out of this particular lock transit since we passed another Viking ship in the lock. We could visit with the folks on the other ship and there was a lot of joking and camaraderie between us.  Several people invited us to join them on their ship as they cruised north toward Amsterdam.

Looking down between the two ships, separated by less than a foot. Kudos to our captain.

When Deb and I went back downstairs, we opened to slider and stepped out on the veranda.  We could touch the cold cement walls of the lock.  The slimy feeling was a bit spooky, something like a Steven King novel nightmare.  I was glad that we could close our windows. We adjusted to the sounds of the locks as the night wore on and I remember sleeping well, looking forward to our last day in Germany that would dawn in the morning.

We woke the next morning to discover that we were docked directly adjacent to the charming little town of Briesach, Germany.  Set on a steep cliff above town, St Stephen’s Cathedral is a 12th-century Romanesque church that was expanded in the 15th century in the Gothic Style.  Like most of Breisach, (85 percent of the city was bombed in the world wars) the landmark cathedral was almost completely destroyed during World War II but has been beautifully restored.  The church is known for the quality of its interior decoration, but we weren’t able to visit the interior of the church due to our timed tour of the Black Forest later in the day.

The lovely town square was quiet at this time of the morning when we first started walking

The sunshine was beautiful as we walked off the boat to explore the town on our own.  Briesach is bigger than it seems but the outer parts of town weren’t visible to us until later in the day when we did our bus tour.  At this time of day, the town was quiet, and Deb fell in love with the sweet little German city that felt much like a fairy tale.

The charming streets invited us to explore and we walked one way and then the next.  Our goal was to walk as far up the hill toward the cathedral as we could manage.  I should say as far as I could manage.  

Both of us were impressed with the little red walker’s ability to bump along those cobblestones without any trouble for me.  

Onward!  I know I can do it!!

Made it!!

The magnificent view from the top of the walls toward the Black Forest to the south was definitely worth the walk.

Toward the west, we could see Gersemi docked below us on the river.  If you look closely you can see that there are two Viking River ships docked side by side.  Nancy made sure to announce that there were two ships at the dock and that it was easy to get confused and get on the wrong ship, so she warned us to be sure to check that we got on the right one when we returned. Our stateroom was riverside, but the staterooms that were portside had a very intimate view of their neighbor’s cabin if the blinds were open.

We enjoyed walking the courtyard below the cathedral and attempting to read the many interpretive signs provided by the city about the history and architecture.  The only problem was that the signs were all in German.  Instead, we needed to do a bit of research on our own about the town of Briesach.

Often the focus of German and European politics, the history of what was called the “mother city of Breisgau” goes back over 4,000 years.  As early as the Neolithic Age, people settled on the plateau along the Rhine, and in Celtic times there was a princely seat here that maintained trade relations as far as the Mediterranean region.

The Romans also recognized the strategic importance of the location and built a fort here, where Emperor Valentinian I issued an edict on August 30, year 369.  The year 369 is also considered the founding date of the town of Breisach.  The name Breisach comes from the celti word “brisn-ac”, which means “water breaker”, the rocky mountain where water breaks.  Even in the early Middle Ages, the waves of the untamed Rhine often crashed against the basalt slopes of the hill where the cathedral is now located.

In the 11th century, the Staufer dynasty founded Briesach as a city, but there was already a settlement with a church before that time.  The Staufer Dynasty was a noble family of unclear origin that rose to rule in 1138 and continued ruling under the Holy Roman Empire until 1254.  The history of this dynasty meanders toward Italy and peters out in the late Middle Ages.

Notice, German and French and a very tiny bit of English at the lower left of the photo

In the early 13th century, construction began on the St. Stephansmunster, the cathedral at Breisach.  By the early 16th century, Breisach was a significant stronghold of the Holy Roman Empire.  It was conquered by the French and integrated into the French state, returned again to the Holy Roman Empire, and reconquered again in 1703.  Eventually, Briesach became part of Austria, and then later again a part of France, and finally Germany. During World War II, 85 percent of Breisach was destroyed by Allied artillery as the Allies crossed the Rhine, and the Cathedral was also heavily damaged.  

As Deb and I walked through this delightful German riverside town, we had no idea of this incredibly complex history.  We saw neat shops lining clean streets.  We found a small tourist souvenir shop and decided to take the time to visit and purchase a few goodies rather than wait for our time in the Black Forest later in the afternoon.  It was a good thing we did since our Black Forest tour didn’t allow any time for small-item shopping.  

On our way back to the ship, we stopped at a charming little ice cream shop we had passed as we walked into town.  The menu was a bit overwhelming, but we finally made a choice and we could only eat some of it.

By the time we returned to the ship, it was time for our afternoon excursion to the Black Forest, departing at 2PM.  We knew that the trip would include a considerable amount of time on the bus, but we knew it was worth it to travel into the fairytale world of the famous Black Forest.  Our destination was the Black Forest Village, in Breitnau, Germany, in the heart of the Black Forest.

The mountains of the Black Forest rising toward the south of Briesach as we travel the freeway

I think the most frustrating aspect of the bus trip for me was the lack of a map, and I didn’t think to download the local Google map for offline viewing before we boarded the bus.  The route led south from the port where we were docked toward the distant mountains.

Deb and I took this photo of a huge German RV park to share with Mo

The second most frustrating aspect for me was that the bus never stopped, not even once, so that we could get any photos of the beautiful landscape through which we traveled. Deb and I managed to get a front-row seat in the bus, but that didn’t keep me from constantly fighting reflections on the windows and those huge bus mirrors from getting in the way of most of my photos of the gorgeous drive.  

It was about two hours to the village, and along the way, we saw several small villages, extensive agricultural landscapes in the lower elevations giving way to lumber mills, and steep tree-covered slopes at the higher elevations. 

It looked ever so much like our home in Oregon, especially the northern part of the Willamette Valley.  As I mentioned earlier, when we talked to relatives who had ancestors who had emigrated from Germany, they told us they picked Oregon because it reminded them so much of home.

The Black Forest is somehow the region that seems to be at the heart of all the fairy tales you have ever read.  Houses that seem to be made of gingerbread, dark mist-filled woods, romantic castles, and farmhouses that haven’t changed in centuries contribute to the atmosphere.  The region has long been associated with the fairy tales that we know best, Hansel and Gretel, Little Red Riding Hood, Rumpelstiltskin, and Snow White came to us courtesy of the brothers Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm.  

Their goal was to collect and preserve the folklore that resonated with a romantic vision of German national culture.  While many of these tales were part of the Black Forest oral tradition, they were told all over Germany and their origins are largely unknown. 

The Brothers Grimm never actually lived in the Black Forest, but the official Fairytale Road that traces their work stretches nearly 400 miles from Hanau to Bremen in the north.  No matter the tale’s source or location, traveling into the dark and beautiful forest can rekindle childhood wonder and a sense of magic.

Above is a photo of the highest point of our drive into the Black Forest

We arrived at the village in the late afternoon, with about 30 minutes allotted to us to explore the famous cuckoo clock shop and to see the demonstration showing how the famous clocks are made.  I thought I might like to have a clock as a keepsake of the trip to Germany, but the prices were overwhelming.  

What we learned is that the size of the pulls on the clock indicates how many days a clock will operate before needing to be rewound by pulling the weights down.  The cheapest clocks run on a battery, but what good is that for a keepsake of a “real” cuckoo clock?  The better clocks, with pulls that only needed to be pulled down every 24 hours started at around 400 euros, and the better clocks, with pulls that allowed them to work for 8 days were in the thousands.  Deb and I looked all around and drooled, but neither of us cared to spend such a large amount of money on a cuckoo clock.

As we looked at so many items in the shop we were especially glad that we had purchased carved wooden Christmas ornaments at the little shop in Briesach instead of waiting until we arrived at the official Black Forest Village.  I was tempted by the beautifully carved Christmas pyramid with the candle-driven rotating top but managed to refrain.  

Mo has one that we put out every Christmas that her brother Don and his wife Wynn gave to Mo when he was stationed in Germany, so I had no need to add another one.  Deb and I both managed to wander the shop and ooh and ahh without buying a single gift or keepsake.

I did enjoy the cuckoo clock-making demonstration, especially the little whistles that make up the traditional coo-coo sound and how they operate in the clocks.  It was fascinating.  The carving on some of the more expensive clocks was a wonder.

We didn’t have time to go into the glass-blowing shop which had some truly gorgeous pieces in the windows.  It was getting late in the afternoon and another highlight of our day awaited us at the restaurant in the village.  Once again, as we entered the restaurant, our trusty friends had found a table and saved space for us right in front of the demonstration table.

The cake-making demonstration was interesting, and after watching how Black Forest Cake was made traditionally, and having a piece of it, Deb and I both decided that my American version of Black Forest Cake was much tastier.  The chocolate sponge used in Germany is like angel food, without much flavor.  The kirsch that is used to drench the cake before spreading on layers of whipped cream was good, but was lost in the mounds of unsweetened cream that covered the cake.  

I was happy to see my daughter so delighted at the completion of the demonstration.  This was one of the parts of the excursion that she was especially looking forward to.

The demonstration was beautifully done but wasn’t nearly as flavorful as expected.  I know that German desserts are not nearly as sweet as American treats, and I enjoy that most of the time, but a bit of sugar in that whipped cream would have been nice!

The journey back to Briesach was beautiful in the late afternoon light.  Deb asked me yesterday if we had a photo of the stag sculpture perched along the edge of a cliff along the route in the narrowest part of the canyon.  We had fun searching the photos and she found the shot.  

Once more, it is a shot from a fast-moving bus on a busy mountain road through the window, but I am including it here for the fun of it.  I have included a web photo of the same stag from the air I found online. I have also included a Wikipedia link just to show how complex all this German history and culture can be if one chooses to dig into it more deeply. 

Photo by Joachim Haller – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=15288763

The deep gorge along the “Hell Pass” section of the highway was dramatic, but with many curves and the darkness of the canyon, it was hard to see much of it. With my tendency to motion sickness I certainly wasn’t able to take notes as our guide spoke to us about what we were passing so quickly on each side of the highway.

As we left the mountains, traffic was getting heavier and the driver decided to skip the freeway traffic jam and took us through several small villages along the way.  Again, without a map, it was impossible to remember the names of all the little villages that we saw.  

The day had been a very long one, with so much to fill our eyes and our minds.  It was delightful to board the ship once again and walk upstairs to the lounge to be served a cocktail before dinner by one of our favorite waiters, Enrico.

This was our last full day on the Rhine River, our last day in Germany, and our last day on Viking Gersemi.  As we listened to the instructions for people who were departing the ship in Basel and going immediately to the airport in Zurich, Deb and I were especially happy that we would be continuing on from Basel to spend 3 extra nights in Lucerne, Switzerland.  We were especially delighted that our new friends Rosemarie and Rick would be doing so as well.  

Our memories of this last day in Germany were marvelous and we were exhausted by the time we fell into bed that night with thoughts of the wonderful glockenspiel at the Black Forest Village.

Touted as the largest cuckoo clock in the world, we were delighted to watch the spinning figures as the clock chimed and the dancing figures emerged from the doorways.  

Deb caught this photo of me toddling along with my little red walker on my first day ever in France

France!  The very name evokes romance and beauty.  Although Italy has been the country that my heart returns to when thinking of romance, history, and beauty, I have never until now been to France.  I was excited to have a day to step into the beautiful town of Strasbourg, on the French side of the Rhine.  

As I write about our visit to Strasbourg, reviewing the photos, and enjoying the memories, I am again amazed at the wonder of this multicultural city that straddles the border between France and Germany.  Deborah has said that Speyer was her favorite, and possibly Briesach which we would visit the next day, but for me, Strasbourg was the epitome of a gorgeous cathedral, fascinating architecture, charming shops, and intriguing restaurants.  

We began our day with breakfast in the sunny Aquavit Terrace, a delightful place to dine when the weather cooperates as it did on this gorgeous day.

This was obviously a “mother!!” moment.  I don’t remember why but now it makes me smile.

Gersemi docked on the German side of the river, and our morning excursion by bus to the city began at 8:45 AM.  Nancy made an effort to accommodate the slower people by arranging two excursions, one for regular folks and one for what she called the “slow group”.  I decided that I should probably take the slow excursion this morning since there would be quite a bit of walking and our time in town would be longer than usual.  There was also a shuttle bus arranged so that people could have bus services into Strasbourg throughout the day.

International Council of Europe from the bus

From the very beginning of the bus drive the inclusive flavor of the city was apparent.  We passed the Palais d L’Europe, the Council of Europe’s principal building.  With flags from many countries lining the main walkway, it was a colorful sight. 

Another bus shot, the European Parliament

Strasbourg is the seat of the European Parliament although most committee activity takes place in Brussels. As we continued along the main roads leading to the center of Strasbourg, our tour guide told us about the many headquarters of multi-national interests.  

The bus was the most comfortable that we experienced on the trip, but what Deb and I loved most were the live cameras that allowed us to see the road ahead of us even though we were not in a front seat of the bus.  Strasbourg is known especially for its storks that return every spring to the parks and boulevards to nest in the many trees.  The camera allowed us to see a stork or two as we rode along the main boulevard into the heart of the Place de la Republique, a huge parklike square that is located in the center of what is known as the “German Quarter”.

I was thrilled to see evidence of inclusivity in the city of Strasbourg

Our group exited the bus, and walking slowly along the parkway, our guide told us many stories of his life in Strasbourg.  Strategically positioned on the banks of the Rhine, this city has been batted back and forth between France and Germany five times since the late 17th century.  At each change in allegiance, the residents were required to speak the language of the country in control, and our guide’s grandfather had to learn French, then revert to German, and back to French.  It was disorienting for the residents who did their best to adjust to the changing governments and shifting requirements of each one in turn. It was interesting to hear about becoming a citizen of a different country without ever leaving the house in which you were born.

Our guide pointed out several of the most famous buildings along our walking route beside the square.

The Palais du Rhin (Palace of the Rhine)

The huge building, with its imposing dome and surrounding gardens, is an outstanding landmark of 19th-century Prussian architecture.  When Strasbourg and the rest of the Alsace-Lorraine part of France was annexed by Germany in 1871, Strasbourg was made the capital of the new province.  It was decided that the residence of the Kaiser should be a building symbolic of Imperial Power.  After much debate, the design was based on the great Palazzo Pitti in Florence, Italy.

Across the square is the Regional Directorate of Public Finances

Surrounded on all sides by impressive architecture

You can see how close we were to the steeple of the Strasbourg Cathedral as we continued our walk

Eventually, we arrived at the central area of the loveliest part of Strasbourg, La Petite France, another UNESCO World Heritage Site.  (Notice how many times we have visited UNESCO sites as we travel on the Rhine!) The story behind the name of this part of Strasbourg isn’t quite as romantic as one could imagine.

When Strasbourg was a free city of the Holy Roman Empire, sick people were isolated in the Tanner’s district.  French soldiers, who had contracted syphilis (called the French disease) were also isolated here, and the local people called the hospital area “Petite France”.

Today this area is the most picturesque area of Strasbourg.  There are four channels that flow through the heart of Petite France, beautiful bridges that cross the canals that were once covered with wooden roofs.  The Tanners Building is the most photographed structure in the quarter, but we somehow missed it.  I managed to get a photo of the incredible Kammerzell House, one of the area’s most ornate and well-preserved medieval civil buildings.

The Kammerzelle House in La Petite France area of Strasbourg

What I loved most about Strasbourg was the juxtaposition of both French and German architecture, with half-timbered houses right next to French baroque apartments.  It was fascinating.  

This photo is from the courtyard of the cathedral in front of the post office where we were instructed  to meet

The squares were quite crowded even though it was still early on a Tuesday morning.  As we walked closer to the great cathedral, the complex lacework sculpture of the exterior was far more ornate than anything we had seen before.

Deb and I had learned our lesson when we visited the previous cathedrals, and this time after walking through the great Gothic Cathedral at the heart of Strasbourg, we went into the church shop to buy a guide to the Strasbourg Cathedral.  We wanted to understand what we had seen in the many photos that we took of the interior,

The little booklet is a wealth of information with illustrations of the different parts of the cathedral color-coded by the date of construction.  I would highly recommend purchasing these inexpensive cathedral guides where they are available BEFORE entering the complexity of the interior parts of these historic structures.

A fine example of the flying buttresses that make the interiors of a Gothic cathedral so open and full of light

Another sad attempt to capture the full height of the cathedral.  This is called the “western building”

The building of the cathedral began at the end of the 12th century, but was not completed until 1439.  It was enlarged with a last medieval construction just at the beginning of the 16th century.  During these three centuries, influences and changes of plans followed one another.  Many artists from many surrounding countries contributed outstanding work in every field including architecture, sculpture, and stained glass.

The restoration work that began in the 19th century is still ongoing, which explains the constant presence of scaffolding. Neither of us managed to get photos of the incredible tympanum (the basically semi-circular arch above the lintel) of the central portal because as you can see in the photo it was in shadow with sunlight pouring directly at us.

Pardon the somewhat fuzzy photo that Deborah took of me but I love it because it conveys my wonder and delight as I looked up trying to see all the arches and portals and stained glass windows.

The nave, viewed from the east towards the internal western facade.  The stained glass of the western Rose window was finished in 1345.

The crypt was reconstructed between 1190 and 1235.  It reflects the complexity and a lack of uniform style that was the result of five master builders who were in charge of the work during that time. For an uneducated tourist, it is difficult to identify the various parts that might be Romanesque and Gothic.  It was beautiful no matter what styles were mixed.

Rather than attempting to talk about all the incredible details of the interior of this great cathedral, I will simply add a few more favorite photos.

One last bit of the cathedral that we visited before we took the exit toward the cathedral store was the astronomical clock.  The clock is the only monument created during the Renaissance at Strasbourg.  It is a work combining art with science and technology.  Today the clock provides all sorts of astronomical readings while the mechanical figures announce the days and the hours with accompanying chimes.

Deb and I both attempted to get a video of the clock chiming but neither of us was successful.

We left the cathedral around noon, still in awe of all we had seen, but our day was barely half over.  There were tour guides from both Viking ships that had docked on the German side of the river who were directing people to the spot where they needed to catch the bus back to the ship.  We had a couple more hours to explore the streets and shops of Strasbourg.

We walked back toward the canal on the south side of the cathedral, thinking we might find a restaurant.  Lucky for us, it was still early enough that there were tables available at the restaurant we chose.

Our choice was based on seating availability more than anything else, but it was a fabulous choice.  Our restaurant was charming and very French.  

We chose traditional items such as French onion soup, an onion tart, and some kind of fried cheese thing.  The wine was delicious. Our waitress was delightful, first speaking to us in French, and switching easily to English when she realized we were from the US.  She said in perfect English, “No worries, many of our customers speak only English”.

After lunch, we had some time to explore some of the back streets and shops in the city.  It wasn’t enough time to do all that we wanted to do.  We never found our way back to a wonderful shop with windows filled with clocks and music boxes that we hoped to find on our return to the bus meeting point.

We did find a charming flower shop, and several patisseries that were tempting, but it was hard to choose so we didn’t.  

Deb loved the cheese shop and bought some kind of delicious soft cheese that she thought she could take home, but we later learned we would have to eat it all since soft cheese is not allowed back in the US by the USDA.

We found a favorite little shop that carried all sorts of fun items from the Alsace region, where Strasbourg is located.  Here we thought a few handmade items might be good gifts for friends and family.  I bought a tea towel that still graces my refrigerator because I couldn’t bear to give it away.

Tired from all the walking, we both wanted the opportunity to have some French crepes, which we had skipped at lunch.  We found another delightful little shop and had some simple crepes and coffees before we knew it was time to rush back to the church square in front of the post office where we could meet with a guide who would take us to a waiting bus.

Notice the top deck chairs all opened up now on Gersemi in the sunshine

It turned out to be a bit of a confusing kerfuffle for folks because the busses were for both ships, but they were docked near each other and eventually, we did get back to our waiting river ship.  

That little red flag in the center of the bridge marks the boundary between the two countries.  

The weather was so gorgeous, and the views of the river and the bridge between the two countries were so wonderful.  We decided to do the touristy thing and walked back to the center of the bridge so that we could take a photo of each of us with one foot in France and one foot in Germany.  

It was an exercise in silliness because we couldn’t figure out how to do a selfie that included the marker and the traffic blowing by was a bit disconcerting.

We were back on the ship by 4, in time to relax a bit before departure at 6 and the special dinner “Taste of Germany” to be held this evening in the dining room.

Once again, I was impressed with the captain personally always stepping up to help me with my walker as I entered the ship and negotiated the few stairs between the gangway and the ship.

As we entered the foyer we ran into our favorite wait staff.  Ana is from Romania and Sergio is from Spain.  They met on the ship and fell in love. Of course, they tried to keep this quiet, with Sergio (our favorite charming waiter) whispering to us that Ana was his new love.  It wasn’t considered appropriate for staff to be in a relationship, but what to do in the face of young love.  Sergio and Ana were excited about their chance to be off work for a day and spend time together.

There is more to come on this day between Germany and France, but reliving it as I write has worn me out almost as much as the actuality.  So I will save the German dinner and the silly entertainment of the evening for tomorrow as we sail toward Briesach and the Black Forest of Germany.

Deb and I had an amazing day in Strasbourg, France.  With only one more day on the Rhine, we were nearing the end of the river portion of our trip.

Gersemi left Rudesheim for the town of Mannheim just after midnight.  There was a brief stop in Mannheim where some guests left the ship for the optional excursion to Heidelberg for a visit and lunch with the University students there. 

Notice the upturned chairs.  The upper deck wasn’t particularly popular this morning.

The morning sunshine on the river was gorgeous, but the air was still a bit chilly.  We enjoyed the morning on the ship, relaxing in our stateroom and walking around the ship on the top deck for a bit to check out the passing landscape. 

At 11 there was a talk by Nancy in the lounge sharing the different Viking itineraries and the countries that can be explored on Viking ships. Deb and I went up to the lounge to listen, but it really wasn’t that exciting to us since we didn’t plan to cruise again anytime soon with Viking or any other cruise line for that matter.

Some of the guests appear about as excited as we were with Nancy’s talk

We sat near the bar, which did provide a bit of interest

The lovely, quiet town of Speyer lies on the west bank of the Rhine.  The city is home to a great Romanesque Imperial cathedral.  Speyer was also once a major Celtic center that traded hands several times between the Romans and the Huns.  

It was early afternoon when our ship docked in Speyer.  It was a beautiful day, and still a bit chilly, but the sunshine felt wonderful after so many days of dreary, cold rain.  We had only a few short hours to explore the town, with our ship scheduled to leave Speyer at 6:30 PM. 

Gersemi pulled into the Viking dock near the beautiful Heidenturmchen Park, located in the area surrounding the cathedral. The park has a network of pathways leading to the cathedral and to the town center just beyond the cathedral.

Deb and I decided to skip the walking tour excursion in favor of walking the short distance to town on our own.  After sharing meals together and enjoying some delightful conversations with our new friends, we were delighted to walk to town with Abigail and Amelia.  Once again I decided to take my walker in case I needed to have a place to sit if my legs gave out.  

I included both these photos not only to show all of us but to show Amelia’s happy smile which was much more often her expression.

Before I continue, a bit of history:  The German city of Wittenberg may be the birthplace of the Reformation since it was there in 1517 that Martin Luther first challenged the abuses in the Roman Catholic Church.  But it was the city of Speyer that gave this religious revolution its name, “Protestantism”.  The name derives from a letter of protest signed by six princes and 14 representatives of the Free Imperial Cities during the Diet of Speyer in 1529.  

Sculpture in the park of some of the kings and emperors entombed in the Speyer Cathedral

A “diet” was a formal assembly of electors, nobles, and representatives from various states within the Holy Roman Empire, and its purpose was to negotiate and ratify laws.  Speyer’s protesting princes were reacting to events that had been set in motion eight years earlier.  In 1521, the Diet of Worms convened, and its major outcomes were the condemnation of Martin Luther as a heretic, the banning of his teachings, and the criminalization of any actions supporting Luther or his beliefs, actions that were punishable by death.  At the time, the Roman Catholic Church was all-powerful and wanted nothing to interfere with that power.

It was lovely to see the forsythia in bloom in the cathedral gardens

In reality, the Edict of Worms proved difficult to enforce.  The emperor, embroiled in power struggles with Rome and the threat of Ottoman Turkey on the eastern front, was reluctant to fan the fires of religious strife within his domains.  Many of his vassals, the empire’s most influential princes, were increasingly sympathetic to Luther’s ideas.  The first Diet of Speyer, in 1526, placed the anti-Lutheran ban on hold until a national general council could be held. This allowed individual nobles to temporarily oversee religious affairs within their own territories, a great boon to Luther’s movement.

In modern-day Speyer, it is possible to pay your respects to both strains of religious thought by visiting the great cathedral, (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), and the Memorial Church of the Protestation.  

More sculptures in the ‘domgarten’ surrounding the cathedral

We chose to visit the cathedral, with its great spires dominating the skyline as we berthed in Speyer. The Imperial Cathedral is one of the world’s finest and largest Romanesque cathedrals.  Built between 1030 and 1061 by emperors KIonrad II, Henry II, and Henry IV, it was meant to impress not only with its size but its pomp and majesty.  The flat ceiling was replaced with groin vaults in the last 11th century.  

We first viewed the massive cathedral from the back as we walked toward the town 

The gorgeous red, cream, and pink sandstone was quarried in the mountains of the Palantine Forest and shipped downriver via the channeled Speyerbach, a stream that flows from the mountains to the Rhine

After centuries of damage, a restoration program in the 1950s returned the building to almost exactly its original condition.  Stonemasons from Lombardy did much of the architectural detail, including the dwarf galleries and the ornamental capitals.

As we walked around the building we saw the cathedral square and the main road leading into the old town of Speyer. I am embarrassed to admit that I didn’t write down the names of so many of these amazing architectural wonders as we walked the town.  

On the southern side of the cathedral is the Mount of Olives sculpture 

In front of the cathedral is the ‘domnapf’ or cathedral bowl.  It holds 1500 liters of wine and traditionally each new bishop had to fill the bowl with wine and the burghers emptied it to his health.  The last time the bowl was filled was on October 2, 2011, on the 950-year anniversary of the dedication of the cathedral

For me, entering this massive example of Romanesque architecture was breathtaking.

Entering the nearly 100-foot high portal is a big contrast to the Gothic cathedral we visited in Cologne, whose walls are supported externally by flying buttresses that allow for a minimum of masonry and maximum light.  Here at Speyer, the columns supporting the roof are massive. There isn’t a lot of stained glass because there are fewer windows. 

The cathedral contains the largest crypt in Germany.  It was striking in its simplicity and is the final resting place of four emperors, four kings, and three empresses.  I thought it was notable that the crypts weren’t the burial sites for archbishops and popes as is the case in so many cathedrals I have visited.

The difference between the two cathedrals, the Gothic cathedral in Cologne and the Romanesque cathedral in Speyer was striking.  I loved the solidity of the huge sandstone pillars and the strength that the building imparted, but did miss the brilliance of all the light and stained glass that I am used to seeing in a great cathedral.

After visiting the cathedral we walked west toward the old town of Speyer.  By this time we had joined our walking tour guide and tried to keep track of all she was telling us about the historic buildings as we walked the street.

The old city hall of Speyer.  

Yes, that is me wandering a bit as Deb searched for some toothpaste in the grocery store

The charming main street of Speyer

Searching for a grocery store

Deb and I did find a charming little gift shop where we both purchased a few inexpensive souvenirs, among them a cell phone carry bag for Deanna, and a couple of other small items.

At the end of the main part of the pedestrian walkway was the beautiful Old Gate of Speyer.  Built between 1230 and 1250 on the ruins of a previous tower, the bottom of the tower remains as the foundation, but in 1511, Speyer’s mayor ordered that the tower be rebuilt, so the upper portion is newer.  It was completed in 1514.  Originally built as an exterior gate, connecting the old town with a suburb, an additional roof was added in 1708.

The tower narrowly survived the destruction of Speyer in 1689, during the War of the Grand Alliance.  French troops had placed explosives in the tower and were preparing to demolish it when the prior of the nearby monastery warned that the collapse of the tower might endanger the soldiers who didn’t know how to demolish it without danger.  The entire Carmelite community knelt in front of the Drench troops to plead for the tower to be spared.  While the Old Gate was spared, the city of Speyer and the cathedral were left in a heap of rubble. 

As we learned so much more detail about the history of these cities we visited, I was always amazed at the complexity of so many centuries, wars, and religious conflicts.  I am reminded that there is nothing new about human conflict.

On our way toward the gate, our guide showed us the entrance to the old Jewish Quarter and mentioned a bit of the history of that place as well.  Deb and I planned to stop there on our way back to the ship, but time didn’t allow us that opportunity.  Both of us were really sorry we missed this important site.

Along with the cities of Mainz and Wurms, Speyer was an important center of Ashkenazic Jewish spiritual and intellectual life.  Though pogroms were a tragic reoccurrence throughout the city’s history, there were also times when Jewish life thrived.  in 1084, speyer’s Bishop Rudiger Huzmann invited Jews to settle here from nearby towns.  It was a business development move, since moneylending was forbidden for Christians and the city needed funds for the new cathedral it was building.  In return, the Bishop offered rights and protections that until then were unprecedented in Europe.

Today there are several reminders of Judaic life behind the Palatinate Historical Museum.  Here you can see the synagogue remains from 1104, and the ruins of Germany’s oldest mikva, a 33-foot-deep ritual bath.  The old cemetery was moved and destroyed several times, but artifacts from it are on display at the Museum SchPIRAS.  Almost all of Speyer’s Jews were murdered during the Holocaust.  But in 1996, a resurgence began when some Jewish refugee families settled here from Eastern Europe after the fall of the Iron Curtain.  The cornerstone of their new synagogue was laid in 2008.

Looking down the alleyway leading to the Jewish Quarter

Sadly, exploring these kinds of historic places in depth is often truncated by the short timeframes offered on any type of cruise, not just a river cruise.

Deb and I walked back through the park in the late afternoon sunlight and boarded the ship just in time for our departure at 6:30PM.

We enjoyed the “port talk” in the lounge once again with Program Director Nancy as she discussed the options for the next day’s excursions.  

Something I haven’t mentioned about Abigail and Amelia is their commitment to making sure that they always arrived at the restaurant dining room early enough before dinner that they could save a table for our little group of six.  They were always there when we arrived, right at the perfect table, located portside by a big window.  The table was one for six people only, and when Deb and I arrived, and when Rick and Rosemarie arrived, we always were welcome at “our” table.  

Maybe I don’t remember what we ate very often because the conversation was so much fun as we shared the day’s experiences and talked about our lives and families.  I was extremely grateful for these great cruise buddies.  They added a lot to our experience.

 Deb and I barely had time to get back on the ship after visiting the Marksburg Castle before the announcement came that we should all find a good place to be where we could see on both sides of the river. We were about to begin what was advertised as the highlight of our Rhine River Cruise, the great German castles on the cliffs above the river.

Here I am talking to Rosemarie about how surprised we were to be seeing the castles so quickly

Somehow, neither of us realized that this part of the trip was something that only lasted a very few hours.  I thought the castles would be scattered along the banks of the river throughout the cruise.  Something else I should have researched a bit more carefully before we traveled.  

Deb and I joined Rosemarie in the forward portion of the ship adjacent to the Aquavit Terrace.  Located at the bow of the ship, the  Aquavit Terrace is a casual outdoor space where breakfast and lunch were served in addition to the downstairs restaurant.  The only downside of this lovely open terrace is that the wind was blowing and the rain was coming in fits and spurts.

On the right side of the photo next to Deb, there was a nice big pile of cozy wraps for those that wanted to sit outside on the terrace, and we each took one for possibly going outside in the windy chilly weather.

The rain was coming down in earnest as we traveled so initially we watched from inside the ship with a hot cup of tea and our blankets.

Nancy the Cruise Director made announcements along the way as to our destination, and we were each given a list of the castles we might see as we sailed up the river.

Deb spent much of the 3-hour trip through Rhine Gorge on the top deck, where the inclement weather wasn’t conducive to the deck chairs being open.  Cruisers who wanted a chair had to set them up themselves, and most people just stood or walked around the deck.

With the steep stairs that are the only access from the Lounge deck to the upper deck, I only climbed to the top a couple of times before escaping the rain and wind.  Rosemarie and I watched the castles along the riverbank from the warm and comfy chairs in the lounge.

The one thing that was most bothersome to me was the strong reflections of the interior lights of the ship on the glass.  I wished so much that the captain would have those lights turned down for the portion of the trip that was the most scenic.  

Instead, many of my photos from the inside of the boat have these bright yellow lines running through them and no amount of fancy editing could fix the photos completely.

It was fun seeing the small communities along the banks of the river.  A train moved adjacent to our ship at a much faster rate than we were traveling.

The three of us had a bit of difficulty attempting to understand the two-page map that we were given to help with identifying the castles as we passed each one.  The problem with this plan is that the river had only a few mile markers and we weren’t exactly sure where we were at any given time.  Also, the photos of the castles were from only one direction, and like any other landscape or building, the directional view makes a huge difference in how it looks.

With rain continuing for most of the afternoon, I was happy for a nice big window to sit by as I snuggled into my cozy blanket and tried to figure out where we were on the map. There were announcements on the PA system, but by the time we figured out where to look, we still weren’t quite sure what we were looking at.  I think this may have been a completely different experience if it hadn’t been pouring rain and we could have been comfortable sitting on the top deck with the ability to hear Nancy talking about the castles as we passed them.

Stolzenfels Castle

The beautiful castle that Deborah saw in the early morning light was Stolzenfels Castle at km 585.  A 19th-century Prussian king rebuilt this charming 13th-century castle, which features works of the Rhine Romantic period. Stolzenfels Castle has many works of art and beautiful gardens.  After renovations were completed in 2011, it is now possible to visit the castle for guided tours only.

Marksburg Castle, which we visited this morning was at km 580.  Keep in mind that we are traveling up the Rhine from the sea to Switzerland, and the kilometer markers will be going down as we travel up the river.

Sterrenberg Castle (on the left) shares a defensive wall with Liebenstein Castle (on the right) and is still known as one of the two “Hostile Brothers”, a relic from a 16th-century story of their rivalry. Sterrenberg is mentioned as an imperial castle first in 1034  In 1190, it is listed in the book of Werner on Bolanden as a fief.  The noble family of Bolanden stayed as lords of Sterrenberg Castle until the second half of the 13th century.  Today Sterrenberg Castle is owned by “Burgen, Schlosser, Altertumer Thineland-Palatinate” and is open to the public.  As one of the oldest castles on the Rhine, with a visitor center and a restaurant, it is a popular castle to visit.

A few more miles of cruising in the rain led us to another group of closely spaced castles on the high cliffs above the gorge.

Maus Castle at km 558

Dubbed “Mouse Castle” by the counts of the larger Katz Castle nearby, this restored complex has splendid architectural features and abundant medieval charm.  The castle became known as Burg Maus due to the cat-and-mouse rialry between the Catholic Church and the powerful counts of Katzenelnbogen who owned nearby Katz Castle.  In the early 1800’s it fell into disrepair and was used as a quarry.  Today it has been restored but is privately owned and not open to the public.

Rheinfels Castle at km 556

Rheinfels sits high on a cliff above the Rhine, perched on the ruins of a mighty 13th-century fortress.  The castle has not been renovated and still is in ruins, but can be visited.  There is a small museum and a hotel on the property.

From all sides, Rheinfels Castle was impressive and beautiful.

Katz Castle at km 555

Katz Castle has been a presence on the Rhine since the 14th century.  Katz Castle was heavily damaged by Napoleon’s forces in 1806 and rebuilt in the Victorian era. 

I have included the internet photo from below, with the proper attributes because it shows the magnificent views of the Rhine Gorge that weren’t visible to us as we cruised at river level. The photo from above Katz Castle views the steep walls of the Rhine Gorge as it approaches the LoraLei Rocks at the narrowest point of the gorge.

By Alexander Hoernigk – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=47815373

After passing Katz Castle we approached the most narrow portion of the Rhine Gorge and the LoreLei Rocks. There is a legend along the Rhine that Lorelei was a German maiden who threw herself in despair over a faithless lover and was transformed into a siren who lured fishermen to their destruction.  It is the most dangerous section of the Rhine, with steep cliffs, rockfalls, and a current made more swift by the narrow walls.

The Maiden Lorelei statue at the Lorelei Rocks on the Rhine

Schonburg Castle at km 549

Schonburg Castle was built sometime between 911 and 1166, and from the 12th century was ruled by the Lords of Schonburg.  As with many of the castles along the Rhine, they had the right to levy customs on the river.  The Schonburg line died out with the last heir, the son of Friedrich of Schonburg, and the castle was burned down in 1689 by French soldiers during the War of the Grand Alliance.

The castle remained in ruins for 200 years until it was acquired by the German-American Rhinelander family who bought the castle from the town of Oberwesel and restored it.  The town bought the castle back from the family in 1950, and since 1957 the Huti family has lived at the castle on a long-term lease.  They operate a successful  4-star hotel and restaurant there.

Gutenfels Castle at km 546

Built in 1220, and used with the nearby toll castle, Pfalzgrafenstein Castle, in the middle of the Rhine provided an impenetrable toll zone for the Holy Roman Emperor until Prussia purchased the area in 1866 and ended the toll.

Pfalzgrafenstein Castle at km 545 below Gutenfels Castle on the hill above the river

Tolls were no longer collected after 1866 and in 1946 the tiny island was put under state control.  The state converted the castle into a museum and today a short ferry ride from Oberwesel to the island and the castle.

The most famous grape grown on these slopes is Reisling

We live in wine country in the west, but I have never seen slopes this steep with vineyards clinging to the sides.  I wish I would have had a chance to visit the winemakers and grape growers in this part of Germany to learn about their viticulture methods, and how they irrigate these vineyards and keep them from sliding into the river.

Stahleck Castle Youth Hostel at km 543

This 12th-century castle repeatedly attacked during the 17th-century wars, lay in ruins for 237 years.  Rebuilt in 1909, it now houses a youth hostel.

This view of Stahleck Castle above the town of Bacharach was one of my favorites.  It captured the romance of the riverside villages, the old churches, the gorgeous, incredibly steep slopes of the vineyards, and the stormy skies that accompanied our trip through the Rhine Gorge.

Reichenstein Castle km 534

Reichenstein Castle is a stunning example of neo-Gothic reconstruction.  Its collection of porcelain, furniture, and weapons spans more than five centuries.  It now contains a restaurant, museum, and hotel, and is privately owned.

Rheinsein Castle km 533

This romantic, 14th-century castle features a drawbridge, ivy-covered battlements, and spectacular views of the Rhine.  It is especially interesting to note the way that the castle was built on the nearly vertical slabs of slate that form the walls of the Rhine Gorge.

Ehrenfels Castle km 530

The last of the castles that we viewed within the UNESCO Heritage Site was Ehrenfels.  This castle was built in the 13th century and keeps watch as boaters enter the narrow Rhine Valley.  Ehrenfels is a castle ruin that stands near the town of Rudesheim where our tour of the castles would end.

Nearing our stop in Rudesheim, Germany

On the way to Rudesheim, the bar staff did a demonstration for making Rudesheim Coffee, a delicious concoction of coffee, brandy, sugar, whipped cream, and dark chocolate. 

By the time we reached Rudesheim, I was rather exhausted,  The exploration of the great Rhine River Gorge and the many castles that we saw was amazing, but so much information.  All I wanted to do was rest.

Once again, though, Deborah was charmed by the half-timbered German architecture, and with a stop that allowed her enough time to get off the boat she decided to go for an evening walk before dinner.

I stayed on the ship for a time but then decided to at least get off for a little bit and walk through the lovely park while I waited for Deb to return.  She had some photos to share and we laughed about how hard it is to see as much as we would like with such a short stop in the town.

Again I don’t remember a bit about dinner, because, by dinner time, I was worn out, and crashed in our stateroom.  I was glad that the rain seemed to have dissipated at least, and hoped for a better weather day for our next day visiting Speyer, Germany.

Deb wasn’t ready for sleep, and instead spent some time on the top deck, watching the lights and listening to the river current before coming down to bed late that evening.

It had been a very long day, and such a day it was. It was the first of the two most important days that Deb anticipated for this vacation.  The next thing she wanted to see most was the Black Forest, but we had a few more river cities to explore before that day would arrive.

Gersemi docked next to a lovely park for a short evening in Rudesheim, Germany

Deb’s dreams of cruising the Rhine were filled with thoughts of visiting the magical castles along the river.  She made sure that she purchased the optional excursion for both of us, visiting Medieval Marksburg Castle.  She was worried about me, worried that it would be too much for me, with warnings in the description of the tour that it was “demanding”, and that those with mobility concerns should seriously consider their abilities before embarking on this particular excursion.  I said not to worry, I could do what I could, and if I couldn’t do the entire thing I could sit somewhere on the grounds while she toured the castle.  

When we awoke this morning near dawn, Deb’s first vision was of the magnificent Stolzenfels Castle glowing pale in the dim morning light.  She told me the other day that this first view of this castle was among her favorite memories of our cruise.  

The Rhine is wide between Stozenfels and Braubach where we would be docking for our visit to the Marksburg Castle.  In the early morning light, with street and house lights still on, the lights reflected on the water, making everything seem even more romantic and magical.  

We were both excited about the day ahead, with our anticipated visit to the Marksburg Castle scheduled to depart at 8:45 AM.  After an early breakfast in the dining room, we dressed for the chill weather and were ready and waiting for the notification that it was time to depart the ship for our waiting tour bus.

I knew that I wouldn’t be able to take the walker through the castle, imagining the narrow, winding towers that I have climbed in castles in the past.  I did, however, want it for getting to and from the castle on the hill sitting high above the river.  Without a moment’s hesitation, the tour guide and the bus driver were kind and willing to load my walker into the basement area of the bus.  The tour guide said I could do as much as I was able and I told her I was willing to wait outside the castle, or anywhere that I couldn’t manage well on my own.

After a short walk to the bus, we took a short ride through the town of Braubach as we ascended the hilltop toward the castle.  Deb was enthralled with the German half-timbered buildings. I laughed because it reminded me so much of the German section of Epcot at Disney in Florida.  

As you can see in the photos from the bus, the day was still very wet and the rain came and went but never was an actual downpour, so we were lucky in that respect. Once we exited the bus, the walk up the hill wasn’t terribly steep and I managed just fine with the walker.  I was feeling a bit nervous inside though, wondering just how hard it was going to be for me to keep up with the group.

When Deb took this photo, I was NOT the very last person in line, but I was toward the back of the bunch for sure.

Marksburg is one of the principal sites of the Rhine Gorge UNESCO World Heritage Site.  It was used for protection rather than as an actual residence.  It is an interesting example of a “bergfreid”, the tall defensive towers typically found in medieval castles in German-influenced countries.  This bergfreid was designed as a butter churn tower, a two-part defensive tower where the upper section has a smaller width than the lower section. 

Of the 40 castles on the Middle Rhine between Bingen am Rhein and Koblenz, the Marksburg was one of only two which had never been destroyed, and the only one that has never fallen into disrepair.  This made it the perfect castle to tour in depth as we traveled the Rhine.

Marksburg Castle is first mentioned in the year 1231.  Over the next few hundred years, the castle repeatedly changed ownership.  In the late 1400s, the castle passed to the Landgraves of Hesse, who ramped up its fortifications by adding artillery batteries and ramparts.  

We visited the ramparts, which overlooked the Rhine from a different perspective.  From this vantage point, we could clearly see Gersemi docked below along the banks of the river. Although initially established as a fort, during the late 1800s, the castle became a home for invalids, a prison, and a barracks for the Prussian Army.

We entered the castle through a great gate, fit for dreams and fairy tales, which led us to the interior through a long stone tunnel.

Our guide was helpful and showed me a place where I could leave my walker at the base of the stairs and said I was welcome to walk as much as I was able in the upper reaches of the castle.  

Passing through the tunnel to the protected area of the fortress, we entered a lovely courtyard with early spring flowers just beginning to bloom.  I loved seeing the plants and herbs in the kitchen garden.  

The courtyard was edged with a wall with a breathtaking view of the river valley below with our ship docked in the distance.  The wind was cold.  If you look closely, you will see that I have only one glove on.  I had forgotten gloves, but Deborah shared with me and we each wore one to help with the chill.  

We left the courtyard to walk the inner pathways leading to the main part of the castle.  It was here that I was treated to the best of kindness, as a strong man offered his arm to help me navigate the wet, slippery, rough stone pathway.

Marksburg Castle is the only fort in the Rhine River Valley that looks much as it did in the 13th to 15th centuries.  Marksburg escaped the bombs of World War I and II that destroyed so many other structures in Europe.  Many of the rooms, including the great hall, the chapel, the kitchen, and the armory are well-preserved slices of medieval life.

I don’t quite understand the fascination with dungeons and objects of torture that are often part of Medieval tours, no matter the country.  But here is the dungeon. Surprising that it has windows, and makes me wonder if they just moved all the stuff to a different room.  I usually leave during the torture discussions, being a wuss when it comes to thinking about that sort of thing. The inner rooms of the castle are quite dark and difficult to photograph.  Deb and I both took lots of photos that I keep in my SmugMug files, but many of them are fuzzy or poorly lit because of the dark conditions inside the fort.

We did manage a photo of the amazing kitchen that felt as though we had stepped back in time.

As the group walked into even darker and steeper recesses of the castle, the German guide who was helping  our ship tour guide interpret what we saw in the castle said he would take me to another area where I could more easily navigate some of the inclines.  

In the interim, as we waited, he told me about his city life in Frankfurt, his beautiful wife which he adored, and how he had decided to leave city life behind and live a more relaxed rural life in this part of Germany. He loved that he had more time to play, hike and ski in between his tour guide assignments.

Well-preserved medieval tapestries and musical instruments in the rooms of the castle

The group ascended stairways and rooms that I wasn’t able to view, but we met everyone in the upstairs armory toward the end of the tour.

Even though I didn’t see everything, I saw enough to enjoy the experience of visiting the castle and didn’t miss much.  Deb took a lot of photos of the rooms that I missed and told me about what she had seen.

At the end of the tour, we returned to the courtyard where there was a small cafe with outdoor tables overlooking the river.  As part of the tour, we were all given shots of Schnapps to help ward off the chill.  

As chilly as it was, the view was so nice that most of us preferred to sit outside on the terrace.  It was here that we found ourselves sitting next to my knight in shining armor who had helped me walk up the rough rocks at the beginning of the tour.

We all walked back down through the myriad stairways and paths toward the bus.  Within minutes we were at the boat, and back on board thinking we had time for a bit of lunch.  It was a great surprise to discover that right at noon, Gersemi was to cast off leaving Braubach for Rudesheim.  

Our ship departed Braebach in the rain. During the next three hours, we would travel the Middle Rhine viewing the castles that were in the UNESCO World Heritage Site.