Germany Trip Report, part II.

Monday, 30 August

Rosie, the girls, Robert and I took a ferry across the river to visit Rudesheim today.  There was once a bridge over the Rhine between Bingen and  Rudesheim, but the Nazis destroyed it just before the end of World War II and it has never been rebuilt.  

Looking back across the Rhine at St. Rochuskapelle.

We meandered through some charming cobbled streets in Rudesheim.

 

At the edge of Rudesheim we boarded gondolas which carried us over vineyards to the Niederwald Monument.  

Guess who was unhappy that each child had to ride with an adult?

The ride up was peaceful and scenic, affording more great views of the Rhine Valley.  

Built to commemorate the German victory over Napolean and France in the early 1800’s, the Niederwald Monument sits on a bluff at the curve of the Rhine directly across the river from Bingen.   

After admiring the view and listened to a recording describing the history of the monument, we walked down through the vineyards.

Upon arriving back in Rudesheim,  we stopped for ice cream and strudel in a little café.

Leaving Rudesheim we visited the monastery of St. Hildegart which sits in the middle of some vineyards and serves as the home to some 50 or so Benedictine nuns.  

We walked into the monastery’s sanctuary and could hear the nuns singing from a hidden transcept.  We stood quietly in the back, mesmerized by their voices.  It was quite peaceful and reminded me of the opening scenes of The Sound of Music.

Jogi had arranged a wine tasting for us at a local ‘weingut’ (winery) owned and operated by friends of his in a neighboring town.  

Rosie and Jogi have known this couple for many years, and they served as translators as we toured the winery and cellars.  

I can’t even express what a privilege it was to sit at a table with this husband and wife, whose life is dedicated to their business, and hear them tell stories of their vineyards while opening bottles and sharing their wines with us.

As we were enjoying the wine and company of Gertrud and Helmut, the girls sat quietly and played their Nintendo games over glasses of grape juice at a neighboring table.  

At one point I looked over and saw that Dots had fallen asleep at the table.  Ah, jetlag.

We left Weingut Helmut Hanka and drove to Burg Schwarzenstein, an elegant hotel and restaurant in a castle high on a hill in the town of Johannisberg (of Reisling fame).  The view from our table was spectacular as the sun set and was still magical even after it was dark.  

After enjoying a delicious German meal, we rode the ferry back across the Rhine, returning home just after midnight.