Germany Day 4: the Rhein River Valley

This morning we met a new driver for our excursion into the Rhein River Valley.  We drove for an almost an hour to Burg Rheinstein to catch a boat for an hour long cruise up the Rhein River.  The cruise had wonderful views of the vineyards and castles along the Rhein.

We departed the boat at Rudesheim and had lunch at a wonderful beer garden on the famous Drosselgasse street in the historic district. Brannon had a fried whole trout with a local beer and I had the bratwurst with a local wine.  Everything was delicious!

After our short visit to Rudesheim, we drove to Kloster Eberbach, a former Cistercian monastery that is famous for its wines.  We enjoyed a short wine tasting and purchased several bottles to enjoy on the remainder of our trip.  They are unable to ship wines to the US due to the extensive paperwork and inability of the shipping companies to deliver the wine without breaking the bottles.

The next item on our itinerary was a visit to the Electoral Castle in Eltville. Click here for a brochure on the castle. The kids enjoyed climbing the steps up from the dungeon to the top of the tower. Madeleine also really enjoyed taking pictures of the blooms in the rose gardens.

inside the top level of the tower

view from the tower

by the well in the courtyard

gardens in the former moat

view of the tower from the gardens

view of the church from the gardens

After our visit to Eltville, we returned to our hotel for a brief stop in the Executive Lounge for snacks. We then took a taxi to St. Bartholomew's Church, the cathedral of Frankfurt.  Click here for a brochure on the church.

this car has seating for 7

Choir Stalls (#14 in the brochure)

(#11 in the brochure)

St. Mary's Chapel (#9 in the brochure)

 tombstones (#12 in the brochure)

one of the many Altar Shrines mentioned in #8

gothic vaulted ceiling

Altar Shrine of the Holy Trinity (#1)

James REALLY wanted to return to the kids play area we visited yesterday, so we walked across the Eiserner Steg pedestrial bridge over the Main River once again.  We played until they closed the attraction down and then took a taxi back to the hotel.  Tomorrow we leave for Stuttgart with a stop in Heidleberg along the way.

view of the play area from the bridge