It was raining. Slow, steady persistent rain, falling straight down from the sky with not a breath of wind moving it. The sky was grey and it was alot cooler temperature wise as well. We had a leisurely breakfast and Rosie asked if there was a laundromat in town to do some washing, as Rosies stash of 17 pairs of undies is getting seriously delete. Ellen said no, but offered to put them through the hotel laundry…Rosie has seen hotel laundry charges and gingerly asked how much would it cost….10 euro she said. Sold! The Operator was so relieved to get out of that chore, he is generally the washing man having negotiated laundry’s world wide.
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We put on our matching new raincoat jackets, ready to be christened for the first time in Rhine rain, Kathmandu things we bought specially for the trip that fold up to the size of a 50 cent piece for travelling, pulled up the hoods and were off on a cruise up the Rhine.
Yes, I did say it was raining, but it was barely raining and with no wind it wasnt to unpleasant….plus Rosies theory was, we wouldn’t get sunburned and who else would be silly enough to go a cruise of the Rhine in the rain….queuing in the rain I was surprised how many people were waiting, seeing the boat pull in, it was already nearly packed.
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…who goes on a cruise of the Rhine in the rain! Guess everyone else had the same plan. Most did stay inside though, Rosie and the Operator were standing at the front of the boat in the rain, hoods pulled up, just us and the captain…Rosie got all the good photo ops and didnt have to nudge a single person out of the way.
We bought tickets from Bacharach up river again to Boppard on the Kohl – Dusseldorffer line, a one way journey for two was 28 Euros for an hour and a half boat ride. The boat was bang on time and was a three level beast with restaurants, bars and a Subway sandwich counter…..
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The Rhine has captivated Rosie, I must be, I am standing in the rain. There’s a rhythm to the mighty river that merges with its environment: black slate cut from plains above, terraced vineyards zigzagging up hills, husks of ruined castles, and squat spires of stone churches and towers rising up through townscapes.
The ridges of the gorge rise above us, not a modern building in site, thanks to a strict code that holds the tide of modern Germany back behind the hills. Dry, scruffy, green vineyards climb the steep hillsides. Trains streak like arrows along both shores. Bright green and red buoys bob in the current, keeping the slow moving parade of barges and sightseeing boats off the many reefs and shingle banks.
While the Rhine is over 800 miles long, the 36-mile stretch from Mainz to Koblenz is by far the most interesting. This is the Romantic Rhine, a powerful stretch of the river set amongst a deep and scenic gorge.
Many of the castles we passed were once “robber-baron” fortresses built by rich princes and wannabe rulers back when there were 350 independent little states in what is today’s Germany. The castle owners raised heavy chains across the river when boats came — and lowered them only when the merchants had paid their duty. Totally illegal of course as the church were the the only ones who could tax at that time.We sail close by one of the many scenic fortresses, Pfalz Castle, shaped like a boat, in the middle of the river, it was once a toll castle….not sure if it was legitimate or not.
As the cliffs get steeper, the rocks darker, and the river faster, the scenery becomes more dramatic. Over the ship’s loudspeakers comes the story of Loreley — the maiden who seduced sailors into shipwrecks.
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Because of the reefs just upstream, many ships never made it to St. Goar. Sailors (after days on the river) blamed their misfortune on a maiden whose long blonde hair almost covered her body. This legendary siren flirted and sang her distracting song from this rock. Thank goodness our boat survives. It pulls into St Goar for a load of tourists to hop on, high on the hill above Rheinfels castle looms over the town.
The maiden is so enigmatic Rosie couldnt even get a photo of the tiny statue at the base of the cliff…way to far away for the smartphone.
We are the only ones on the top deck now, the rain has strengthened and is coming down in sheets. Rosie and The Operator go indoors, find a table in the bar and sit down to a glass of wine, there is only half an hour till we hop off in Boppard.
We venture forth on the top deck as the sun weakly puts in a show as we sail into our destination of Boppard.
Once in Boppard we pretty much head for the train station and are back in Bacharach in 20 mins. The rain has stopped and after a wee wander around the town, Rosie and the Operator head back to their deck and lounge in the warm weak sun that breaks through the clouds.
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We popped out for dinner at The Rusticana, cheery red and white tablecloths sit on a small outdoor terrace under a rambling grapevine. It is as rustic as the name, but honest and good value, the owner Astrid, is actually Polish and speaks many different languages.
There is only a choice of sweet or dry red and white wine, it was lovely, a step back in time to the good old days. The meal was pretty much the same too, Rosie had Rabbit with a mushroom sauce and mashed potatoes, The Operator had venison with a cranberry sauce and peach and dumplings, plus a nice serving to share of pickled red cabbage …the dumplings were not what I expected….they were more giant gnocchi, and certainly not doughy like expected, they were like wee heavy sponges that soaked up the sauce…curiously pleasant.
Did I mention we also had Apple Strudel? It was to die for, At the end of the dinner Astrid gave us souvenir postcard of the restaurant…nice touch
Tomorrow is our last day in the Rhine, we are heading south for the first time and will be visiting Rudesheim, its across the river so we will park and catch a ferry across the river….looking forward to it? We are!
