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| After the congregation at Liebfrauen Kirche emptied out from the morning service, we and others entered for the concert. It was a program of classical music and the sound of the huge pipe organ resonated to every corner of this lovely church, creating a very spiritual and emotional mood. In the second half of the 45 minute program a baritone soloist was accompanied by the organ, producing some very beautiful and soul satisfying music. | |
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| Following the concert we had a special treat at the train station. A steam train full of railroad buffs were on a special excursion. They were leaning out taking photos and everyone seemed to be having a great time exchanging information and experiences about old trains, and having a few beers in the process. | |
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We took the next train south to Bingen where we had a salad and pizza lunch in a restaurant's garden court near the river. We walked along the Rhine until we located the dock for the KD Line (KD stands for the Kologne- Dusseldorf Line). It was a beautiful day to be on the Rhine. It was so peaceful and tranquil to float along the smooth river, viewing castles, vineyards and villages lining each side of the water. After ninety blissful and sunny minutes we glided into the dock at St. Goar -- home again, in time for a little nap before dinner at Restaurant Krone. |
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Another beautiful day! I read in one of the brochures given us by the Untours rep that there were rose gardens in the little town of Braubach, on the east side of the Rhine, north of St. Goarhausen. Since Marilyn and I both enjoy flowers and gardens, we decided to take a look. Braubach, known as the "town of wine and roses," was given its charter in 1276 and still retains many of its medieval homes and buildings. Looming high on a hill overlooking the town is Marksburg Castle. (More on Marksburg later) The Rose Garden, along the banks of the Rhine, was created by Johann Dennert (1863-1932). He sold tickets for the white fleet on the Rhine, but while waiting for ships and travelers, he used every free minute to arrange and plant new rose bushes. | |
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| It wasn't the most spectacular garden we've seen, but it was certainly a very pleasant place to stroll and admire and smell the flowers. It's worth a stopover. | ||
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We caught a train to Koblenz and then south to Boppard on the west bank of the
Rhine. We walked about ten minutes along the river until we came to the Sessel
Bahn (chair lift station). There was a nice restaurant with outdoor tables
across the street, so we decided to have lunch before tackling the mountain.
It was a twenty minute ride to the top. From there we walked to two different lodges which faced the horseshoe curve in the Rhine known as "Gideon's Eck" (corner). The views were marvelous from the mountaintop. At the second lodge one could position themselves a certain way, looking down at the river where the view of the river was cut off by terrain. It looked like four separate lakes. Incredible! |
  
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