And now, before my blog finally becomes somewhat up-to-date by covering my experiences here in Berlin, I present my last excursion I took while in Cologne - we went to the Middle Rhine Valley!
Sure, it's not a household name, but this stretch of the Rhine River south of Cologne is absolutely gorgeous and full of picturesque castles and towns. It was unbelievable to see. The entire 65-km stretch of this part of the Rhine is on the UNESCO World Heritage list.
First up was visiting a castle called Marksburg, which is the only hilltop castle in this valley never to have been destroyed. It was probably founded in the 12th century and wound up changing hands many times as each family that came into its possession wound up selling it.
Marksburg was in a town called Braubach, a tiny, sleepy, old town with many houses dating back to the 16th to 18th centuries.
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| Quick shot of a castle we saw while driving into Braubach. This is Stolzenfels castle, originally built in the 1200s |
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| A rare sight - a German flag! Braubach is below |
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| Streets of Braubach |
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| The view from Marksburg Castle was great |
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| Here's the entrance to Marksburg. You can see they made the door smaller once it was no longer necessary for knights to ride into the castle on horses. Additionally, the floor on the balcony-like thing above the door could be removed in case of attack, and arrows could be shot and stones could be thrown at attackers through the gap that resulted |
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| More views from the castle |
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| These cannons could shoot all the way to the other side of the Rhine.... |
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| ...seen here |
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| They had a botanical garden with plants typically grown in medieval times |
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| In the wine cellar. Wine was particularly important in the middle ages. Everyone was afraid of drinking contaminated water, so instead they drank up to 4 liters of beer and wine a day, although back then such drinks were only 3 to 4 percent alcohol |
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| The kitchen had to be big enough to feed the whole village in case of a siege |
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| The wood box on the wall was used to keep salt dry. Salt was extraordinarily valuable back then |
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| This is an early fridge! It was used to keep food cool |
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| I always love seeing how much shorter everything was in those years |
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| This is the dining hall. The long table is an unattached plank. After each course, servants could replace it with another pre-set plank. Through the open door on the right is a bathroom, which is really just a hole that lets waste fall outside of the castle walls. The door doesn't lock from the inside - instead, it locks from the dining room side, so no attackers could clamber into the bathroom hole and then into the castle |
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| A small chapel's ceiling has a drawing of St. Mark, the patron saint of the castle |
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| The castle also had an armory |
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| A replica of an old helmet. It was not comfortable or easily wearable |
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| The tower used to contain prisoners and once was only accessible by ladder |
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| The castle's goat is named Scheck, which means Spot |
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| Marksburg |
We just barely made it only our next train, which took us to a village called St. Goar, where we also took a ferry across the river - there were no bridges for 30 km in either direction.
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| A ruined castle called Rheinfels overlooks St. Goar. You can still tour the ruins (for a price) |
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| The other side of the river had yet another castle (Katz Castle, 1371) |
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| St. Goar |
Afterwards we continued down south to a slightly larger village called Bacharach, population 2,000. This small tourist town was so picturesque that we hardly spent any time on its streets. Instead, we hiked all the way around it in the hills above the town, getting various fantastic views of its quaint buildings against the dramatic backdrop of the Rhine.
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| On the way to Bacharach, we passed by the Loreley cliffs. This famous rock marks the narrowest and deepest part of the Rhine river. A strong current and rocks below the surface have caused many boat accidents here |
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| Another castle we passed on the way to Bacharach. Gutenfels Castle, 1220, now a hotel |
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| Directly below Gutenfels Castle is Pfalzgrafenstein Castle, which was used to exact tolls on passing ships |
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| Now we're in Bacharach, a town that thrives on wine and tourism. The tower in the background is one of six surviving gates (out of an original ten) that punctuated the old town wall |
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| Heading up into the hills. The castle at the top of the hill is Burg Stahleck. Once the capital of the Holy Roman Empire for a few years in the 1200s, now it is a youth hostel |
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| Lots of vineyards |
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| I couldn't believe what a picturesque view it was |
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| With a view of the vineyards as well |
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| Incredible! |
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| Even more vineyards |
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| The church tower on the left belongs to the Church of St. Peter, which dates back to 1094. Several times it was destroyed and rebuilt |
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| These are the ruins of the Werner Chapel. In 1287 a young man named Werner was murdered on this site by a group of Jewish people, so a Gothic chapel was built over the course of 140 years to commemorate his death |
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| Amazing views are a dime a dozen here |
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| Werner Chapel ruins and an old city gate tower |
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| Werner Chapel |
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| Just yet another unbelievable view |
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| Now next to Burg Stahleck |
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| Time to go! We had a train to catch so had to scamper down this steep hiking path |
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| Burg Stahleck |
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| Further up the river, on our way back home, we passed by Burg Sterrenberg and Burg Liebenstein. These two castles, separated by a stone wall, were built by two quarreling brothers. The full, complicated story is here |
I have to give a shout-out here to Rick Steves, the travel expert whose guide to Germany helped me immensely when I planned for this day and while we were exploring the destinations he recommended. But the only reason I have Rick Steves' book is my good friend Amanda, who kindly gifted it to me before my departure. Thanks Amanda and Rick!
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| We love Rick Steves! |
I still cannot believe I saw such beautiful scenery. It's easy to see why this valley was a favorite amongst the Romantic writers! It was the perfect way to finish off my time in Cologne. The very next day, I hopped on a train for the 6 hour ride to Berlin.
Phew, now this blog is only 13 days behind! How exciting. More to come from Berlin!
