GERMANY - RHINE RIVER VALLEY

Germany is located in central Europe.  It is bordered to the north by Denmark; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; to the west by Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg and France; and to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic.  German is the official language.  Major religions are Protestant (38%) and Roman Catholic (34%); another 26% is unaffiliated or other.  We visited Bonn, Cologne, Cochem, Bernkastel, Trier, Traben-Trarbach, Boppard, and Speyer.

BONN

Our first stop in Germany was in Bonn – once a sleepy little town that attracted visitors to the birthplace of Ludwig van Beethoven or to the renowned University of Bonn or even to the beautiful marketplace with its Renaissance town hall.  That all changed in 1949, when Bonn was chosen as the capital of the Federal Republic of Germany.  The capital moved to Berlin after the unification of Germany in 1990, but Bonn still remains the seat of several government functions, as well as the home of Haribo (maker of Gummi Bears). 

Our ship docked near the John F. Kennedy Bridge, alongside the promenade that parallels the Rhine for miles of walking and biking.  We were in the shadow of Bonn University’s chapel and near part of the old town wall and gates.

 

This building was built in 1527 as the Palace of the Prince Elector appointed by the King; today it houses University classrooms and offices.

Walking across the campus, we saw the postman on his appointed rounds – on a bicycle, of course.

In the old town, there are still tree-lined streets with little shops and small pubs.  Kolbenzer Tor is a former town gate, now surrounded by the city.   

Old town is also the home of the Minster, built between the 11^th and 13^th centuries, in late Romanesque/early Gothic style.  Originally the Minster was the collegiate church of Saints Cassius and Florentius, who were Roman legionnaires.   According to legend, they were beheaded for their religious beliefs at the present location of the Bonn Minster.  Sculptures depicting their heads lie in front of the church.  It is a beautiful church with a tall central tower, an airy interior and splendid cloisters.  

 

Nearby is a statue of Ludwig van Beethoven, who was born in Bonn.  The 16^th century house where Beethoven was born is known as Beethovenhaus; it now is home to the Beethoven museum. 

 

In front of the Town Hall, we wandered through the morning market in the square.  Our guide told us that these vendors bring all new produce each day, ensuring that fruits and vegetables are really fresh.

 

COLOGNE

After a wonderful lunch onboard ship, we headed out for a train ride to Cologne to see the cathedral there.  Fortunately, Brigitte (one of the program directors) came along with us – otherwise we might still be trying to figure out how to work the ticket machine. 

The train dropped us right in the middle of town – no problem finding the cathedral – it is only a few steps from the train station.

The Cologne Cathedral (or Dom) is officially known as the High Cathedral of Saints Peter and Mary, the seat of the Archbishop of Cologne.  The building, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is awesome, in every sense of the word.  Construction began in 1248, was halted in 1473, and then completed – to the original plan - in 1880.  The cathedral is the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe and has the second-tallest spires and largest façade of any church in the world.

 

The Cathedral is not just big, its architecture is inspiring and it is filled with artistic masterpieces – statues, stained glass windows, mosaic tile floors.  

 

 

Cologne's medieval builders planned this grand structure to house the reliquary shrine containing the bones of the Three Wise Men and to serve as a place of worship for the Holy Roman Emperor. The Chapel of the Three Magi overlooks the golden Shrine of the Three Magi (dated about 1190-1225), which houses these important relics. 

 

Near the Cathedral is another type of relic – an ancient Roman gate, built when a Roman colony was founded here in 50 AD. 

Also nearby is a nice little sidewalk café that offers foot-weary travelers a chance to sit back, relax and be grateful for the opportunity to visit this place.  After a cold beverage, we boarded the train for the short ride back to Bonn.

 Leaving Bonn, our ship continued south on the Rhine, passing castle ruins dimly visible at the close of day.  We also passed town of Remagen, best known for its bridge which was the site of the first Allied crossing of the Rhine during World War II.  The bridge collapsed shortly afterwards, and only its towers now remain – barely visible in the near darkness.

 

After dinner, tonight’s entertainment in the lounge was provided by Rafael de Alcala, the Gypsy Vagabond.  He performed a wide range of popular Spanish hits, gypsy pop, traditional Flamenco, and songs of South America.  

BOPPARD

The town of Boppard lies in the middle of the UNESCO World Heritage Area of the Middle Rhine.  People have lived here – at the biggest horseshoe bend of the Rhine River - for thousands of years.  Our ship docked here for a side trip to see the Marksburg Castle, plus time to visit this charming town.  The UNESCO symbol is visible on the hillside to the right of the ship. 

First the castle … Marksburg Castle is the only hill castle on the Rhine that has never been destroyed. It has been lived in for over 700 years and thus represents an ever-changing and developing building complex that has been growing into its present shape over the centuries.  The water color painting was done by one of our fellow travelers.

 

The castle, which is one of the principal sites of the UNESCO World Heritage Rhine Gorge, was built to protect the town of Braubach.  It was constructed about 1117 and changed hands frequently until 1900, when it was purchased by the German Castle Association. 

Inside the castle, it would be easy to get lost for a long, long time – except of course, for the guards at the door.  There are endless stairways, secret passages, tunnel, rooms and towers.  Luckily, we had a super guide to take us through, and we just happened to be there on the day when the castle association had folks in period dress working at various tasks all over the castle. 

 

In the kitchen, folks were preparing a meal, while in one of the family rooms a man was working with leather.

 

In the armor room, we learned about how armor changed over the centuries.  There was a nice exhibit of armor from different eras, as well as a man working on a type of armor known as mail or chainmail. 

 

In the torture room, our guide gave us the gory details of how various instruments were used to punish and/or interrogate.

There was even room in the castle for a blacksmith shop – after all, the horses lived in there along with the family, the guards and the other workers.

There weren’t very many windows in the castle – the residents were much too worried about sneak attacks.  But we did get a nice view of the Rhine River before we said goodbye and headed back down the hill.

After all that hard work tramping all over a medieval castle, it was break time.  Back at the river, we stopped at Maximilian’s Brewhouse to sample some local beer (dark and light), pretzels (soft and warm), and sausage (bratwurst and whitewurst).  All were excellent – perfect ending to a perfect morning.

 

Back to the ship for lunch and then we walked into Boppard, whose history dates back to the ancient Romans.

The Roman fort Bodobrica was built here in the 4^th century.  It was an impressive structure, and its walls are still clearly visible today surrounding the town center.  Unlike many ancient sites, this one was totally accessible for getting a close-up look. 

 

The twin-towered St. Severus Church was built in the 13^th century over the original military baths of the Roman fortress.  It is a good example of the Romanesque style of architecture and has decoratively painted arches illustrating the legend of St. Severus.

 

Nearby is the charming town square, with a beautiful fountain dedicated to Michael Thonet, a native of Boppard and creator of the famous bentwood furniture. 

There are many half-timbered houses to admire in the town center.  The Teehäusje (or Little Tea House) is the oldest half-timbered house in Boppard and goes back to the year 1519.   At the Haus Bodenbach (built in the 16^th century), the gables stand on posts and are richly carved.

 

Along the river promenade, there are houses of another era.  In the 19^th century, Boppard was a popular health spa and resort area.  Many fine houses along the Rhine have now been converted to hotels or bed/breakfast inns. 

CRUISING BOPPARD TO SPEYER

Leaving Boppard in mid-afternoon, we entered the most scenic section of the Rhine River, the Middle Rhine or Romantic Rhine.  It is a steep gorge, slopes covered with vineyards and dramatic castles towering over the water.  Just about everyone on board adjourned to the sun roof for this part of the trip – and nobody was disappointed (except that it eventually got dark).

There are two fortresses above the village of Kamp-Bronhofen; on the left is Sterrenberg Castle (ca. 1100 AD) and on the right is Liebenstein Castle (ca. 1250 AD).   They are nicknamed the ‘hostile brothers’ in reference to a legend that they once housed bitter enemies – two brothers who loved the same woman.  There were white mountain goats climbing around the rocks below the castle on the right.

Above the village of Wellmich stands Maus Castle, which was completed in the 14^th century, destroyed in the 1800s, and rebuilt in the early 1900s.  This picture also shows just how busy the Rhine can be, as we passed a barge and a pleasure boat at the same time.  The castle looked pretty big to us, but the story is that it was named “Maus” because it was dwarfed by the nearby Katz Castle. 

 

Sure enough, Castle Katz is big.  It was begun in the 14^th century, destroyed in the 1800s, and rebuilt in the late 19^th century.  It’s easy to see that it has undergone lots of renovation – just look at all those windows.

 

Across the river, looming over the town of St. Goar, is the Rheinfels Castle.  The ruined Castle Rheinfels was once the biggest fortress of the Middle Rhine.  It was built in the 13^th century, expanded in the 15^th century, blown up in the late 1800s, and restored in the 19^th century.  Today it houses a hotel and a museum.

Near the cliffs called the ‘Seven Virgins’ (maidens supposedly turned to stone for various misdemeanors), the Rhine narrows to a mere 370 feet beneath the famous 430-feet-high Lorelei Rock.  The once-perilous passage here gave rise to the legend of the maiden Lorelei, whose singing lured sailors to a watery grave.  Today the Lorelei has a statue of the maiden at its foot and a hotel high on top. 

 

The Schonberg Castle stands on a hill overlooking the town of Oberwesel.  The castle was built in the 10^th century, expanded in the 14^th century, and mostly rebuilt in the 19^th century.  The pink-colored Church of Our Lady was built in the 14^th century; it has exceptionally tall and narrow windows. 







Nearby is the village of Bacharach, a picturesque town with a well-preserved ring wall and 9 towers, built between the 14^th and 16^th centuries.  High on the hill, the Stahleck Castle, built in the 12^th-14^th centuries, is now a youth hostel. 

 

The Castle Gutenfels looms over the town of Kaub, protecting the town and its vineyards.   This castle was built in the 13^th century and rebuilt in the 19^th century; today it is a hotel.

 

On a tiny island opposite the town of Kaub stands the Pfalzgrafenstein Fortress, built in the 14^th-17^th century.  This little ship of stone was once used for collecting river tolls.    

We saw lots of barges and other ships as we sailed the Rhine, but we never expected to see one named ‘South Carolina.’  What a way to end a fine day of sight-seeing!

 Back in the restaurant for dinner, we had our nightly visit from Kelvin.  Every evening he offered us a chance to try an after-dinner drink.  Every evening we turned him down, but he never stopped trying …

SPEYER

The town of Speyer is known for its temperate climate, but also for its history. It boasts Germany’s most important Romanesque architecture and tallest city gate, as well as the oldest Jewish bath in Europe.

At one end of town stands the Speyer Cathedral (or Dom).  The Imperial Cathedral of Speyer was meant to be a symbol of the Emperors’ power and it still has this effect today. When farmers rumbled into to the Speyer market in their wooden carts loaded with grain and vegetables, they looked up at these impressive towers, arches and gables with respect and awe.  We didn’t exactly rumble into town, but the impact of the cathedral is undeniable.

Speyer Cathedral is a basilica with four towers and two domes, dedicated to St. Mary and St. Stephen.  It was founded by the Emperor Konrad II in 1030, and is one of the biggest and most important buildings from the time of the Holy Roman Empire.  It listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Inside, huge columns reach up towards the altar room inside the 100+ yard length of the nave of the church. Beneath this floor lie the graves of eight German emperors and kings; this cathedral was the burial place for German emperors for almost 300 years. Their impressive sepulcher was the largest construction to be found anywhere in the whole of the Christian western world in the 11th century.  

The cathedral sits at one end of Speyer’s picturesque main street, Maximilianstrasse. It’s a pedestrian thoroughfare lined with street cafes, palm trees, and oleander. 

 

It seemed that every house and building was adorned with window boxes filled with flowers, mostly pink or red geraniums.  The brown sandstone building is the Town Hall.

 

Speyer claims to be the place where pretzels originated, so we had to try one of the local products.  Sorry to report that it wasn’t nearly as good as the warm, fresh pretzels we had back at the brewery.

Along the way, we stopped for a look at the protestant church, Dreifaltigkeitskirch.  Built between 1701-1717 as a Lutheran church, the interior is adorned by a lavishly painted vaulted wooden ceiling and wooden carvings on the pulpit, altar and galleries.

 


 Nearby there was a statue of a pilgrim walking the Way of Saint James to Santiago de Compostela in Spain.  Tradition holds that the remains of St. James the Apostle are buried there – many early Christians made the trip and Speyer was a major stopping point along the route.

 

At the far end of Maximilianstrasse towers the Altpörtel, said to be the tallest (over 180 feet) town gate in Germany. The lower section was built between 1230 and 1250, with the top floor of the tower added in 1512/14.  Look hard at the picture on the right and you might recognize the folks walking through the gate ...

 

Just a short distance away, we walked through the old Jewish Quarter.  In some ways the ancient Jewish Bath was one of the most impressive sights along the way.  This is the oldest preserved facility of its kind in Central Europe.   Built before 1128, the bath still welcomes visitors as it did hundreds of years ago.

A well-worn stone staircase leads down into the depths of the 12-foot-deep bathing well, where clear, cold water was used for ritual cleansing.

The city center was fascinating, but we also enjoyed the back streets and alleyways.  Interesting buildings, flowers, cobblestone streets.  Looks like a nice place to live. 

 


On one of those back streets, we paid a visit to the Bastlein family: Roger and Maren, and their three children – Mark, Maja, and Marielle.  Maren invited us in for coffee, apple cake and cherry cheesecake, and we enjoyed meeting the kids, looking at family photos, and learning about their very active lives.  The cake was pretty good, too.  (It’s only fair to point out that this kaffee-klatsch was arranged by Grand Circle; other small groups went to other homes for a visit – home-hosted visits are one of the reasons that we like traveling with this company.)