The views from Rheinfels Castle over the Rhine were nothing short of SPECTACULAR!!
Brett and Deb in the middle guard area of the walls of Rheinfels. You had to take a tour to see this area. Jodi coming down some very narrow wooden steps from the tour at Rheinfels.
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Pre-Tour Day 2: Exploration of the Rhine RiverOur plan for the day - take the train to St. Goar to tour Rheinfels Castle, enjoy a Rhine River cruise back to Bacharach, take a walk through Bacharach and up to its' vineyards and enjoy a wine tasting dinner. We hopped on the train at the Bacharach platform for the short ride to St. Goar. We then took the scenic hike up to the castle and enjoyed the views of a wonderfully sunny day from the ramparts. We explored the castle on our own and took an English speaking tour to explore the tunnels, ditches, and parts of the castle that you could only do with a guide while they work on restoration projects.
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Rheinfels Castle
Rheinfels Castle was huge. 90,000 meters huge!! Built in 1245 it was used as a toll station for merchant traffic on the Rhine and became known as the 'unconquerable fortress.' It was built up in the 1400's to withstand cannon fire and became a cultural center in the 1520's. It saw action in the Thirty Years' War and became THE castle of the Holy Roman Emperor. It withstood the siege of the French in 1692 but surrendered to them, and in 1797 the French Revolutionary Army destroyed it. It was then used as a source of building stone. We love a good ruined castle, and this one is a fascinating one to explore and a highly recommended stop on the Rhine.
Lunch on the RhineWe had lunch overlooking the Rhine on the terrace of the Burgschanke on the ground floor of the hotel across from the castle ticket office. Enter through the gift shop. Jodi tried the Fleisch Salat, which is literally a meat salad - strips of thick deli style meat on a bed of pickles and lettuce with onions. It was quite tasty. Brett and Deb shared a thin crust French style pizza with peppers and wonderfully strong cheese on it. Our meal was delicious and had a fantastic view. We couldn't have asked for more.
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Fleisch Salat and French style pizza.
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Heinrich Heine wrote the poem The Loreley in 1824. It was set to music in 1837 by Friedrich Silcher and is today one of the most famous Rhine songs. Our ship played it on their loudspeakers as we passed by.
I cannot determine the meaning
Of sorrow that fills my breast: A fable of old, through it streaming, Allows my mind no rest. The air is cool in the gloaming And gently flows the Rhine. The crest of the mountain is gleaming In fading rays of sunshine. The loveliest maiden is sitting Up there, so wondrously fair; Her golden jewelry is glist'ning; She combs her golden hair. She combs with a gilded comb, preening, And sings a song, passing time. It has a most wondrous, appealing And pow'rful melodic rhyme. |
The boatman aboard his small skiff, -
Enraptured with a wild ache, Has no eye for the jagged cliff, - His thoughts on the heights fear forsake. I think that the waves will devour Both boat and man, by and by, And that, with her dulcet-voiced power Was done by the Loreley. Translator: Frank Petersohn |
A Rhine River Cruise from St. Goar to Bacharach
Bacharach's Vineyards and a Wine Tasting DinnerAfter disembarking from our river cruise we headed towards the smaller back lanes and vineyards of Bacharach to take in the views of the town and river. Along the way we found one of the 7 wells of Bacharach that provided fresh drinking water for the townsfolk. Once up on the town walls by the vineyards we had a fabulous overview of the town and how it sits in its' landscape of the hills and river. On the way back down we enjoyed the beauty of the ruins of Werner Chapel.
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Brett and I stood at the tower at the top of the vineyards overlooking Bacharach and quietly waited for the lights of the town to come on. We were the only people there enjoying this amazing view. It was a very special moment for us to share and I'm so grateful for it.
These Are a Few of My Favorite Things!
My favorite things from our time in Bacharach were taking the tour of Burg Rheinfels with David, enjoying the scenery of the Rhine River gorge on our cruise, having a leisurely dinner over Rhine wine and cheese, and sharing the beauty and serenity of darkness falling over Bacharach and the Rhine.