Castle watching can be sooooooooooooo exhausting

Today was the main reason we were on this cruise. Not only did we want to visit the cities listed on the itinerary but we wanted to go on the stretch of the Rhine known for its castles. This is where Rick  Steves and I differ. He didn’t think it was such a spectacular thing but both Jim and I felt that it was truly the highlight of many of our trips. It was incredible.

After a brief stop in Koblenz (we left the Rhine and sailed on through the Moselle Valley to Koblenz) where the city slept while we walked its streets we headed back on to the Rhine. Koblenz means confluence and it is where the two rivers come together. We turned right and were headed down the Rhine. Unfortuantely it turned cold and rainy but I believe it only added to the magical experience we were having.

Literally there were castles on the right and on the left. We tried being on the top deck so all we had to do was turn our necks one way or the other. Then it got too cold and too wet and we went inside the Panorama room to watch that way. Then we went to our room and watched from there when it got too cold but every time there was one on the left (our room is on the right) we would walk quickly up to the balcony so we could see it. This went on for about 6 hours and more than 30 plus castles.

What we learned through all of this is the Rhine was used as a way of transporting goods during the Middle Ages. Castles were built to exact a tax from the traders. And if a castle went up on one side of the river then a feuding neighbor wouldn’t want to be outdone so he would build a larger and better castle. And on it went, one castle on one side, another on another side, back and forth. There was a story too that two castles owners trying to stop people from not paying their taxes stretched a cord across the river from one castle to the other. If they got caught by the rope (trying to escape paying tax) they were killed.

Many castles were plundered during the many wars in the Middle Ages and on. Some have been restored but most haven’t. Nevertheless they are still beautiful.

After our castle watching we stopped at Rudesheim. We arrived there about 5:00 PM and most of the town was closed. There has been absolutely no shopping open this entire trip! Rudesheim has Siegfried’s Mechanical Musical Museum. It was absolutely delightful!

Right now we are in Speyer, Germany using the local free wifi. Internet has been so hard to find. Speyer is a very cute town with lots of people doing things and going about their lives. Children are out of school, riding bikes and shopping with parents. We are off to Strasbourg tomorrow.

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