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# The Rambler enjoys Rudesheimer coffee after a village tour

March 16, 2022 1954 Leave a comment

Rudesheim is a delightful town with many quaint buildings and a museum or two. It is also the home of the famous Asbach Uralt brandy and and many vineyards. Perhaps more importantly, it is close to Ebingen Abbey, the spiritual home of the 11th century mystic, musician, advocate of healthy eating and holistic medicine, not to mention saint, Hildegard of Bingen.

Eibingen Abbey; not far from the river but an uphill walk. You will enjoy your visit.

Although she has been considered a saint for centuries, Hildegard was never formally canonized by the Catholic Church. When German Pope Benedict XV, realized this, he proclaimed her sainthood immediately to rectify this omission. On our last visit to Rudesheim, I made my way to the Abbey and found it a powerful experience. Although I did not get to revist the Abbey this time, I did provide directions and information for another guest who wanted to go there. She enjoyed her visit very much

On this sunny morning, I decided to go on the village stroll with some congenial friends. The senior Rambler was delighted to stay behind; since we were docked in town, he could happily walk around on his own. Rudesheim is one of those towns with what the Europeans call a “a tiny tourist train,” that saves walking from the dock area to the historic district and back again. These trains are all pretty small, but the Rudesheim one is really tiny; some of the larger members of our tour had a hard time getting in –and out.

A very tiny train can in which at least four people squeezed into.

Of course when we wanted to go back to the ship, the tiny train was no where in sight. The Rambler thinks it is a ploy to force the cruisers to walk past the shops that line the street facing the river on the way back to their ship. On the plus side, it is a pleasant stroll and one can walk along the river as well. Considering all, Rudesheim is the last small towns we would visit on this cruise, and many of our group, including the Rambler would indeed buy some souveniers from shops we passed on the way back.

Fortunately no one got stuck inside a tiny train car on the way to our destination downtown. so we all climbed out in the heart of the historic district. There our smiling guide was already waiting. Before we started our stroll, we visited a local chocolate shop to have a chocolate tasting. Fortunately it was a tiny tasting, to go with the tiny train, perhaps. The Rambler likes her chocolate well enough, but not so much at 10 AM in the morning.

During the tour, we walked past the Drosselgasses, which the Rudesheimers promote as the narrowest street in Germany. The Rambler is not sure about this but it is both narrow and steep and lined with inviting weinstubes, restaurants and hostelries.

A look down the Drosselgasse; it is very narrow and paved with the Rambler’s favorite, cobblestones.

We did have a treat in store before our tour was over, a stop at the Rudesheimer Schloss for the signature drink of the town; a Rudesheimer coffee. The folks who had gone on the Rudesheim tour split into several groups mostly based on walking speed but all the tours ended at the Rudesheimer Schloss for our special coffee; and special it was. The staff at ther Schloss Rudeseim are used to serving Rudesheimer coffee to large groups and after a brief welcome by the proprietor, the waitresses dressed in traditional costume set to work. First hot coffee was poured into special cups, then the Asbach Uralt brandy produced near here was added. Finally the steaming cup was topped with freshly whipped cream. Then the coffees were quickly delivered to our tables and enjoyed by all who love coffee, brandy and whipped cream.

Rudesheimer coffee served to some of our friends from South Africa.

Walking back to our boat, I reflected that Rudesheim was bombed heavily during WWII, The main reason was because of the Hindenburg bridge which linked Rudesheim with Bingen across the Danube. Bombing was not a precise science during WWII and many non-strategic buildings were also damaged. Although most of these buildings were rebuilt, the bridge was destoyed and not rebuilt,;only parts of the once massive structure remain. In Rudesheim,as in many other German towns, medieval buildings were painstakingly rebuilt using salvaged materials whenever possible. Unless you look at photos taken immediately after the war, it hard to imagine how much was detroyed during the war.

One of the remaining parts of the once strategic Hindenburg bridge.

Rudesheim today might be considered touristy by a purist, but it is at the center of the Rhine wine industry. Much tasty wine is made in the surrounding area and many Germans stay in the area while doing a series of visites to local wineries. We did not visit any wine estates on this cruise but sailed past many hillsides covered with vines.

Rudesheim is also situated close to the Rhine Gorge which probably helped make it a UNESCO World Heritage site, as well as the Lorelei Valley. a very picturesque area of the river. Since it is a popular vacation spot for Germans as well as a regular stop for a number of river cruise lines, the local buisness hopefully have been able to keep going during the Pandemic years. The Ramblers were fortunate to take our last cruise together before the onset of the virus, virtually shut down travel.

The Rambler headed back towards the ship with along with Jean, one of our cruise pals, stopping at a few shops along the way. Even in Germany, it is sometimes difficult to find items that are actually produced there. I was lucky enough to find a t-shirt for my young grandson that was actually made in Germany on the way back, not an easy task.

Of course the senior Rambler was waiting for me when we got to the ship, and I was very glad to see him as it had been quite the long walk. Yet it had been a pleasant stroll in good company and the last time we would enjoy the atmosphere of a small German town. Our cruise was almost over and it would end in the very busy metropolis of Amsterdam.

The next day would be spent cruising through the Rhine Gorge, with a brief stop at Koln (Cologne) and then on to Amsterdam, where we would disembark. This time, the Ramblers would spend a few days in Amsterdam to relax before heading back to Atlanta.

ADA accessibility on river cruises, Camping along the Rhine, Castles along the Rhne, Kathe Wohlfart store, Niederwald Monument, Rafting ships together, Rudesheim wine country, The lorelei

# An afternoon in the country, after a morning on the Rhine

October 12, 2015 1954 Leave a comment

On our second day of sailing there was much to see all morning as we cruised past a stretch of the Rhine, where castles, ruined or occupied, perch on almost every hill. Some make you wish you could stop and explore, but after a while, it’s almost, ho hum, another castle.

An impressive castle ruin on the hilltop above

I had purchased a map which showed the castles along this part of the Rhine, but it really difficult to determine just what you were seeing. The Ramblers decided to sit back and just enjoy the scenery. This part of the Rhine can be quite narrow, rocky, and dangerous. En route we passed through the Lorelei; not a person, but the spot where the Rhine flows through a narrow rocky gorge. In the days before Germany was united, local barons often collected toll from passing boats in this area. They actually constructed small fortifications which doubled as toll plazas.

Looking back at the passage through the Lorelei

An old fashioned toll both in the Rhine

We sailed past several more campgrounds along the banks of the Rhine. This is obviously a popular tourist area for Germans and Austrians who live in the area.

Crowded campground along side the Rhine. It was vacation time in this part of Germany

Local residents enjoy traveling around to the quaint villages, and tasting wine at the many wineries and tasting rooms in the area, just as much as tourists from other parts of the world. Some even bring their boats along, and launch them on the Rhine, as there are many places to dock. Crossing the Rhine in this part of Germany involves taking a ferry ride, as there are very few bridges to be seen, but ferries in almost every town.

The Drosselgasse or strangle lane, one of the reconstructed old streets in Rudesheim, little more than 6 feet wide

Our stop today was the small city of Rudesheim, within the Valley of the Lorelei and the center of the Rhine River valley wine industry. Two millenniums ago, it was a Roman settlement as were most of the cities along the Rhine. Today it appears to be a quaint, almost medieval place; the reality is that most of the original buildings were destroyed during WWII. Rudesheim is actually a tribute to the skill and determination of its citizens to restore their city. They have been so successful that close to 3 million people visit Rudesheim annually, about half from abroad.

After another delicious lunch( the MT’s kitchen served the most wonderful soups at lunchtime, with a different selection every day)our ship docked alongside a riverside park in Rudesheim.

Thousands of grapevines, with Rudesheim in the background

At this stop we experienced RAFTING for the first time. Because of the growing popularity of river cruising, sometimes there isn’t enough dock space available close to town during the peak cruise months. Consequently, the second river boat to arrive has to tie up to the boat that is already docked. The Ramblers are surprised this doesn’t happen even more often than it does, as most cruises seem to start on Sunday and end on Saturday. At any rate, the Maria Theresa was the second ship in Rudesheim, so in order to disembark, we had to walk through the first ship to reach the shore. Luckily the dock was fairly level so it didn’t involve much stair climbing. Viking seems to have its own dock space, but because there are so many Viking ships on the river, they are almost always rafted two or three together.

This is one reality of river cruising which will cause problems for people who can’t walk or climb steps on their own. There simply isn’t another way to get off the ship except by going through another ship when they are rafted together. In this case, the Ramblers suggest cruising at a less popular time, early spring or late fall, when there are fewer ships on the rivers and rafting is unlikely. Otherwise, if you can’t make it up and down sometimes steep steps, you may be trapped on the boat at some stops. Although most river boats have elevators, none of them go up to the sun deck, which is often accessed only by a set of steep stairs. However, rafting sometimes involves climbing up to the top deck in order to disembark,

After getting off the MT in Rudesheim, we boarded a mini-tram (it really was mini–generous sized passengers had to squeeze in. The tram took us to the center of the Alstadt, where we climbed a series of steps to the catch the gondola which would take us to the top of the Niederwald Monument. The best way to get to the Gondola is to ride the mini-tram; it takes you around the Alstadt and you get off near the Kathe Wolfhart store.

The senior Rambler in the gondola heading up the hill

Although the Rambler is an historian, she has never been very fond of monuments, however visiting this one had several benefits. You got to ride in an open gondola, and the view from the top was magnificent. What I didn’t find out until too late, was that we weren’t far from the cloister of Hildegarde of Bingen, the famous (to me anyway) medieval mystic, musician and physician. I wish Uniworld would include tours of her cloister along with the monument.

Built in the 1880’s to celebrate the unification of Germany as a nation state in 1871, the monument is impressive. It is crowned with a statue of Germania and features bas-reliefs of Kaiser Wilhelm and his generals on the base. There was a good crowd of river cruisers and local tourists milling around base of the monument and taking photos. There was also an opportunity to try out the local wines at the top of the hill. There were several booths set up by the local wineries offering tastings but the Ramblers found the view much more interesting. After wandering around for a while and admiring the views, we headed back to the gondola house and literally hopped back on for a ride back down to the town.

View from the top of monument hill

No mini-tram awaited us, so we slowly strolled back to the river, admiring the quaint buildings and people watching along the way. This had been a very nice stop, with a little of everything, tram and gondola rides, a good walk, sunshine and moderate temperatures. Some fellow cruisers raved about the Kathie Wohlfart Christmas shop in town and came back toting serious purchases. Since the Ramblers have 60 plus years of somewhat battered but beloved Christmas memorabilia, we weren’t even tempted to go inside. But evidently it is a good place to stop if you are interested in such things.

Rudesheim from the gondola

Luckily, it is very hard to get lost in Rudesheim as everything runs down to the river. Once you see the river, you can head for your dock. We had to walk through another ship on the way, and thought it not nearly as nice as the MT. Some of the folks on the other ship evidently thought so too, and we felt rather smug when they made admiring comments about the Maria Theresa. It would not be hard to get to sleep tonight as we sailed to Wurzburg.

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