What Old Broads Know

Germany – Rhine Cruise and Koblenz.

Posted on by heart.publishing

We woke up to a beautiful sunny day and didn’t want to waste much time moving……and it is a moving day……So we packed up early, put the luggage by the door and headed out. Back to our fav little bakery for our morning caffeine hit and then the ferry to St. Goar and then the train to Bingen. Bingen is a town further South on the Rhine. It is the start of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley – also called the Rhine Gorge – is a 65-kilometre section of the Rhine River between Bingen and Koblenz. Forty medieval castles are perched on the hilltops, historic villages with half-timbered walls line the river banks, and ancient terraced vineyards cover the steep slopes. The entire area was designated a Unesco World Heritage Site of Germany in 2002 due to its historic importance as a transportation route and due to its cultural significance. Besides all of that it is a beautiful stretch of the Rhine and we wanted to see every inch. We knew there was a Riverboat cruise leaving Bingen shortly after 10 and for 2 1/2 hours we would meander down the river seeing every village, town and castle.

We arrived by train about 9:30, found our way from the train station to the river walkway and away we went looking for ticket offices for boat cruises. Two 16 dollar tickets bought, and in 15 minutes, the Cruiser, Father Rhine , would take us on a wonderful cruise and back to St Goar.

Lorelei sits at the most dangerous point in the river where there were many boats that were lost to the rocks. She was rumored to be a beautiful maiden living in the depths of the river singing tempting songs in the evenings while sitting on her rock. Those sailors who heard her lovely melodies easily became captivated in a spell, causing them to lose track of time and where they were until their vessels would horrifically crash, the men drowning with them.

We loved the cruise. It was warm and we sat up on the top of the boat and enjoyed every minute. Once we landed back in St. Goar we found a cafe for lunch, headed home and picked up our luggage, crossed the street to the train station and headed to Koblenz, our new home for 3 days. Koblenz is a very picturesque city on the meeting point of the Rhine and the Moselle Rivers. It was less than an hour and we were at our new place. It’s small but cozy and it has an elevator – yes!!!

Once we got settled, we did our usual neighbourhood walk to get oriented and found a grocery store to pick up a few things. We’ve been eating hearty German meals the last few nights and we were ready to do some fruit, cheese and yogurt in the apartment tonight. Tomorrow we will explore Koblenz and get a different view of the Rhine and the Mosel.

Our days are flying. 10 days and the adventure will be over and we’ll be back in Sask with our family and in our own bed. We love our home and are excited to see family and friends but don’t want to wish away this precious time either so we will treasure these next few destinations before we head home and call it a wrap!

1 thought on “Germany – Rhine Cruise and Koblenz.”

  1. Patti, part of our first trip when we retired a river cruise along the Rhine. All the castles along the hilltops were fascinating. I remember the one in the middle of the River and also Loerlei. Such great history….

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