Last 'Romantic Rhine' stop, 'Romantic Road' next!

Riding sidesaddle on a lion in Rüdesheim!

Sunday was forecast to be miserable, though it started well it didn’t last long, the front blew over with the rain. Fortunately the wind didn’t last long or I may have vetoed the ferry. We headed a few km north, the ferry was our side with a very wet looking cyclist on. As we drove on I did a full on ‘Gromit’ impression, chewing all my fingers in a nervous fashion. The captain up on his bridge saw this, imitated me and laughed. A lot. And with that we were off, our own private ferry. It was a very short trip, but a very small boat and a very fast flowing river. It’s possible I was overreacting, but we’ve seen the huge barges ploughing up and down with no regard to anyone else, and Ted told me he was scared!

Kitschy Rüdesheim

A short but very pretty drive down the eastern shore brought us to Rüdesheim, described by the Lonely Planet as kitschy and wonderful, visited by 3 million day tripping coach tourists a year, mostly for a little medieval alley called Drosselgasse. Actually the stellplatz was at a swimming pool about a 20 minute walk back to town where we were made very welcome by the helpful lifeguard who assisted us buying our parking ticket and explained that the token entitled one of us to swim (parking location: 49°58'52.8"N 7°56'44.1"E).

Rüdesheim market square on a wet Sunday

The rain was not deterring people, there was a singer in the market square and food and drink stalls. Along with a tractor display...? The drink was the new season wine, looked horrendous, not just cloudy but almost chewable! Brian wasn’t sure, but I said we had to try, so a red and a white for a Euro each, so it didn’t matter if we didn’t drink it.... it actually wasn’t too bad, though you wouldn’t want a bottle!

The white umbrella marks the spot we chose for lunch

I'll have the Schweinehaxe please

It was the perfect place to be on a wet Sunday, Christmas shops, tat shops, a wine festival and lots of people. We’d decided we’d have a lunch, our first since leaving the U.K., apart from a few ‘sausage in a bun’, or bratwurst mit brotchen and a couple of kebab sandwiches! If curry is the U.K. favourite, kebab is the German, they are everywhere... We didn’t go for anything flash, I’d been quite obsessed with schnitzel, so that was my choice, though pork not veal, and Brian had a schweinehaxe, or pork knuckle. Beautifully roasted, and even with crackling, it would have done us both, but hey, a meal each! Along with a couple of glasses of Rüdesheim reisling. All very pleasant.

Oh yes, it's quite big then!

Going up on the cable car over the vineyards 

While wandering we’d found the cable car station which persuaded us we had to stay another day, so up on Monday, back to town, popped in to the tourist information, great chat with a very helpful man and bought our ticket. Up the cable car to the ‘Germania’ (like Britannia) monument celebrating the Prussian victory in the Franco-Prussian war and the creation of the German Reich in 1871. A walk through the woods with views over the Rhine, though the cloud inversion meant we were under clear blue skies, but couldn’t actually see the river, via the deer farm, to the cable car. Down the cable car where we both got very cold into Assmannshausen. Into the most ridiculous restaurant (the picture will explain) for a fabulous hot chocolate before boarding a boat for a 40 minute trip back to Rüdesheim. Great little trip.

That's the Rhine down there under the cloud

The 'Germania' monument

A second night meant we’d got a second swimming pool token, so although it’s not our favourite activity it seemed too good an opportunity for a ‘free’ shower, and we did feel virtuous, swimming before breakfast! 

The mist clears to show the junction of the Rhine and the Nahe rivers

Off to Lidl for lots of things, the fridge was bare. I shall have to catch the last of the Stilton we brought with us, to go with the last of the gammon to make a blue cheese and leek risotto tonight. But now I’ve got a litre of Chinese stock in the thermal cooker, so tomorrow will be Chinese pork after a full day in Mainz where we arrived today (Stellplatz location: 49°59'55.1"N 8°14'47.0"E). The last stop in our driving book of the Romantic Rhine, a 5-7 day, 235km trip that will have taken us 17 days! And that’s without actually starting at the beginning, with Düsseldorf and the first 44km! I know we are snails, with our home on our back, but we really are very slow snails....! And why another blog? Well free WiFi obviously!

Cold but clear on the viewpoints

Local wildlife. They were described as wild, but they were fenced in

Going down on the chairlift to Assmannshausen - it was freezing! OK, that's an exaggeration but it was cold

Warming up in the very 'over the top' pub

Our boat arrives (the white one, not the smaller green one)

Ehrenfels castle viewed from our boat trip

The mouse tower on an island in the Rhine

Rapids on the Rhine. The line marks where the deeper channel on this side allows large ships to safely navigate 

Our campsite in Mainz tonight