Rudesheim, Rhine Gorge and Koblenz

Started day in Rudesheim and went on the walking tour while the boat was being resupplied with essentials. Moored close to the town the initial issue was crossing the railway line, at this part of the Rhine there are railway lines along both banks of the river, with goods trains and the occasional passenger train going by every few minutes. Not a large town, quality wine and tourism being the commercial activities. Boasts an active night life in Drosselgasse which is almost totally pubs apparently each with a separate style of musical entertainment. The Niederwald monument at the top of the hill above the vines was not accessible as the winter work on the chair lift station was running late. Leaving late morning to sail down the Rhine Gorge, the most picturesque with strep wooded sides sometimes vines when the geography allowed and more castles with associated small villages than I could count. Arriving Koblenz, where the Moselle joins the Rhine late afternoon we took another walking tour. The “German Quarter”, the point where the 2 rivers is converge is a monument to the unification of the original states to form a united Germany and a huge equestrian statue of the first emperor. Another town along the Rhine which alternated with being French or German, one of the unusual statues is one of a young French fathered boy ( apparently they were all named John!) which randomly spits trying to soak unsuspecting tourists. One of the “robber barons” who lived in a castle along the gorge was tried and sentenced to death there. At his execution he rolled his eyes, put out his tongue and cursed the city, they have built a clock with an image of this face which repeats these actions every 15 minutes. The town was mostly destroyed in the war, the oldest remaining house started to lean so a new house has been built alongside to support it and to commemorate the history of the town another monument depicts the different stages of the town from Roman times to the post war rebuild. After dinner we were entertained by a local “folk group” with clarinet and accordions.Read more