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Just about the first thing we did in every hotel was look out the windows.
We were warned to pack light! It was quite a hike for some of us to the top floor of this hotel. But, oh, it was worth it. What charm!
Blog entry July 6:
Dottie’s had knockwurst today and is in heaven. For me, “wursts” are “worst,” so I’m eating as much German pastry as I can.
(These were oustanding, especially the plum cake.)
Kristin made friends with another restaurant patron, Chester, who enjoyed the pastries as much as we did. He was a tourist as well, from Holland. (No wonder he was so polite!) We were surprised to see him again the next day—in Bacharach. How often do you run into someone you know in Europe?
We visited the medieval Rheinfels Castle in nearby St. Goar, and took a boat ride on the Rhine. It rained off and on that day, but it didn’t dampen our spirits. When I look back on it, we probably had more rain than you'd reasonably expect on a trip like this, but it’s not at all what we remember about our experience.
We were all excited to see the town built right up against the mountain, but we didn’t realize we were going to walk up this mountain--twice! (We were warned about being in shape!) Herr Jung, a lively and spry man in his 70’s, had no problem leading us up the mountain to get this view!
We had the best tour given by a local retired teacher, Herr Jung, who was absolutely wonderful. He has a soft spot in his heart for Americans, and the stories he told of his childhood during the war brought tears to his eyes, and ours too.
Look at these narrow passageways between the buildings.
What could be better? Wine on the terrace with our new friends, some of the most interesting and fun people with whom you’d ever hope to travel.
Our hotel, Hotel Kranenturm, was built in the 1300’s, and it is so quaint. Our group was spread out over three floors, and we all toured each other’s rooms. Some have a view of the Rhine and others have a castle perched on the mountainside—and some have both! Herr Jung ended his tour with a visit to his friend’s art shop. The owner entertained us with tunes from home—“Summertime” and “I Got Rhythm.” Robin bought some beautiful watercolors of Bacharach to hang in her room at school.
Blog entry July 5:
This is almost surreal. While I’m walking around this little town and talking, I’m also looking out of the corner of my eye and on another level I'm thinking that I can’t believe I’m in this beautiful place. It’s amazing. There are flowers on every window box and grapevines loaded with grapes are hanging over doors and windows. It’s truly a story book setting.
Bacharach is absolutely the cutest little town. The streets are so narrow, yet cars and big buses, pedestrians and cyclists all seem to manage to co-exist.
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