The Rhine Gorge I

Oh great, I'm sure everyone is thinking, another gorge! Another boat ride! Such fun.

And it was fun, despite the no pole dancing sign on the top deck.

The weather was looking iffy, lots of dark clouds gathering, but we were going to take this boat ride. Nothing was going to stop us from seeing the UNESCO World Heritage area: Middle Rhine Gorge. Not the weather. Not pirates. Not the large group of German co-workers who were maybe here on some team-building exercise.

We got on the boat, and went to the top, outside, open deck. It wasn't a long trip, distance wise, maybe twenty miles. We were only doing the castle heavy part of the area. It would take about two hours, as the boat criss crossed the Rhine on its journey from Rüdesheim to Sankt Goar.

So why, you might ask, are there so many castles crammed into this twenty mile stretch of river? One word: TAXES. All right, there are probably other reasons, but the mighty (and not so mighty) lords of the region needed money, and one of the ways they got it was by collecting tolls on cargo moving up and down the Rhine. Sometimes, they did this legally, with approval of overlords, the Emperor, or whoever. Sometimes, not so much.

There are a lot of romantic stories of rival castles/families (the Cat and Mouse castles), brigands, pirates, and all of that. You can even, if you're so inclined, download a guide and listen to a description of what all the castles are called, what interesting things happened at various kilometer markings. Usually, I'd go for all of this in a big way, but I was tired, and just wanted to look at things. I know, huge loss.

So part I, I think it goes just passed Assmannshausen.Read more