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After leaving the Cathedral we walked down a packed pedestrian
mall (Hohestrasse), lined with attractive and expensive) shops and stores. The
Wares said they'd prefer to windowshop and meet us afterwards. The rest of us
decided to see the Wallraf-Richartz Museum several blocks down the mall. The
musum has a huge collection of art, covering the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Old
Masters, Baroque and Impressionist eras. We all agreed that it was a very good
art museum.
As we walked back to rejoin the Wares the skies opened up and everyone scurried for shelter from the rain. It subsided somewhat after about ten minutes and we walked back to the Bahnhof. |
| Everyone was hungry by that time and we discovered that there is a number of small restaurants serving a wide variety of foods in the station's lower level. With my lunch (bratwurst and sourkraut) I sampled the "famous" Cologne beer made by Kolsch Breweries. It was good, but not as good as the "wheat beer" that I'd been drinking for the past two weeks. | 
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| Fortified with a good late lunch and cold beers the happy
travelers boarded the train to St. Goar and the prospect of a nap before dinner
And a fine dinner it was at the very nice Loreley Restaurant |
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Our weather forecast was for a warm and sunny day, so we first took our group to Oberwesel for the Sunday morning organ concert, a new experience for them. The group decided they'd like next to see Marksburg Castle in Braubach. It's the only intact, unconquered castle on the Rhine. Braubach is on the right bank of the Rhine, so we took the ferry to St Goarhausen and boarded the train there. There was an elephant train to take us up the steep hills to the castle, which made it comfortable and convenient. There was still a walk of a couple blocks (all uphill) from the elephant train terminus. We got an excellent guide-knowledgeable and interesting, so the tour went well. |
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| Because of interior lighting conditions, I didn't take photos in the castle. I was really more interested in hearing about its history and seeing the various parts of this huge castle | |
 Photo Credit: German Castles Association |
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Since Roman times the Rhine valley has been a line of communication of vital strategic importance. In the Middle Ages the German emperors used it for their frequent incursions into Italy and merchants sent their goods along it, up and down-stream. Anyone owning a castle overlooking the valley was in a strong position, since he was able to survey and regulate the flow of traffic and levy tolls on merchants. Marksburg is one of these castles. Towering on a high crag above Braubach, and lived in for over 700 years, it is the only fully preserved medieval fortress on the Rhine. At the beginning of the 13th century, it was first known as "Braubach Castle," and belonged to the Lords of Eppstein. Over the centuries there were a number of successors. Finally, in 1900, it was purchased by the Association for the Preservation of German Castles. Restorers set to work, fitting it out as a typical fortress of the late Middle Ages. Today on our tour we witnessed the results of their work; a really interesting voyage into the past. The web site of the German Castles Association has excellent photos. http://www.marksburg.de/default.htm |
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Goodness, it's June 14th and we go home on the 16th! Our journey is winding
down and I decided I'd make this an easy day for me. Marilyn and the Wares went
up to further explore Rheinfels Castle and Kim and Pete left on an early train
to see Trier. I called Lufthansa airlines to confirm our flight home. Then I
went to the DB (train office) and re-confirmed our train schedule to the
Frankfurt Airport. I also got a printout (2? ) for my daughter and son-in-law
who planned to go on to Wurzburg and Rothenberg. Lastly I went to the bank for
more Euros to cover dinner tonight and whatever expenses might come up
tomorrow. Picked up a newspaper and my camera and began my last leisurely walk about town. Walked along the Rhine, snapping a few pictures as I went. |
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