Germany 1988 - Along the Rhine to Koblenz

We had decided to take Peter's suggestion about the Rhine and we took off after breakfast and started our first little tour. Our plan was to travel north along the Rhine to Koblenz and return that evening to Mainz. We left the hotel and our first stop was at Oberwassel to take pictures. We saw many lovely castles and vineyards on both sides of the river. There were beautiful gardens, houses and towns nestled in the hills. There were trains running on both sides of the river and we were fascinated by the continual flow of all types of river barges going in both directions. We stopped at St. Goar, where we left the car in a parking lot and took a ferry across the river to Goarhausan(sp) where we climbed a set of stairs and walkways thinking that we would reach a castle that we had seen from the river. (Need the name of the castle) only to find that we could not get past a locked gate and so we returned to the center of the town a little disappointed. We took a walk through the shopping areas and some of the alleys, that was quite interesting. By this

time we were hungry and we looked for a place for lunch only to find that most places served coffee, cake, pastry, etc. for lunch. That was our first realization that lunch is not what we were used to. We settled for Kaffee and cake while we sat outdoors and watched the river and town activity. It was very relaxing and enjoyable. We then took the ferry back to St. Goar and continued our northerly trip along the Rhine to Loreley and to Bopard. The Loreley is a very sharp bend in the river that is very dangerous. They do not allow two way barge traffic in this area. They use traffic lights to stop the barges in one direction while they let the other direction traffic come through. The legend of the area is that female sirens used to call to the barge captains and lure them onto the rocks. The river at this point is very beautiful and we spent quite a long time watching the activity. We then went to the next town called Bopard where we toured the town and then decided to take a chair lift up the side of the mountain. This was not a trip that Joan was very excited about, but she was consoled by the Coke and Apricot Kuchen that she received as a reward. It was a very pretty view from the terrace of the restaurant. The hills along the river were quite large and the river has a number of turns in this area. The result is a view of what appeared to be four lakes instead of the river. After the refreshments we got back on the chair lift and came safely back to Bopard to continue our journey on to the city of Koblenz. The city is located at the junction of the Mosel and the Rhine rivers. At this point is a park that is called Duetches Eck (German Corner). At the park we saw a monument with tribute to the 10 states of Germany (at the time the monument was built). There used to be a large statue of King Wilhelm II mounted on a horse. During World War 2, the statue was removed and melted down for use by the German war effort. A wealthy German has offered to replace the statue but the government has ruled that the money should be used for charitable purposes instead. So he refused to do either. While we were at Duetches Eck we were able to look across the Rhine and see a lovely castle located up on a hill. Little did we know at that time that four years later Steve would spend the night and get to explore some of the interesting rooms and passages in the castle. After leaving Koblenz we crossed the river and proceeded south along the other side on our way back to Mainz. Again we saw many castles and ruins and almost continual vineyards. When we got back to Goarhausen we took a ride up behind the town to visit Loreley Park. On our way we found that the castle that we had tried to explore earlier in the day was really being used as a hotel for corporate functions. After coming back from Loreley Park we again headed south and stopped at the Hotel Turn in the town of Kaub, for dinner. When the waiter came to help us we asked if he could speak English, he said nein and then gave us some books to see if they would help. At this time, our knowledge of German was so little that nothing would have really helped. To our surprise, in a few minutes he reappeared with a German lady who introduced herself and told us that she worked for a lawyer in Mainz and wrote and read many letters in English. She asked if she could help us with the menu. We gratefully accepted her offer and she spent quite a bit of time helping us understand the basics of the menu and helping us place our order. She then returned to her family, who were seated at another table. Later she returned to help us with dessert. This was a

great adventure and also a great meal. We realized at that time that we had to have more help than the little translation book. After we left Kaub we resumed the southward journey and passed a small castle that is located on a mini island in the middle of the Rhine. We went through a small tourist town of Rudesheim and then went toward Weisbaden where we crossed the river. We had returned from a different direction than we had taken in the morning and had some trouble finding the hotel, but finally arrived back at the Mag Hotel around midnight, after a very great day. As you can imagine, we had a very good night's sleep. Friday June 17, 1988. Friday started out with Frustock in the Mag Hotel. Then Mike and Peter picked us up for a ride to the woods and hills from Mainz, Weisbaden and north to Rudesheim. On the way we stopped at the Asbach-Vralt Hotel, in the hills, for coke and beer. We then went on a hike through a wooded park (just outside of Assmans Hausen) behind the hotel, with wonderful views of Bingen and other cities across the Rhein. Then on through Rudesheim and a drive along the Rhein. Before reaching Weisbaden we stopped at the Bavarian Rasthaus restaurant in the country for a meal of ham/bread/xxx/vegetable, pickle, beer and a relaxing chat around a thick wood round table. The restaurant was decorated uniquely. There was old furniture, including an old horse drawn sleigh. There were funny sayings on the walls, the backside of a stuffed animal with a tail that twirls. There was a bird that moved and a light that had a siren sound. There was also a man's legs and shoes stuck in the wall because he didn't get out of the way soon enough when the building was being built. Following the enjoyable meal we took a ride through downtown Mainz and then back to the hotel. We then went for a walk in Volks Park and tried to find a place to eat, but they were all closed because this was a German holiday.