This morning was filled with vineyards and castles as we sailed down the Romantic Rhine. Many of the castles were “robber-baron” fortresses built by petty princes back when there were 350 independent little states in what is today’s Germany. The castle owners raised heavy chains across the river when boats came — and lowered them only when the merchants had paid their duty.
Many of the castles on the Rhine were in ruin but have been restored and are hotels and hostels today. Below is a sampling of the 24 castles and points of interest that we saw.
Reichenstein Castle
Sooneck Castle
Stahleck Castle surrounded by vineyards
Gutenfels Fortress with vineyards and town of Kaub
Schönburg Castle
Lorelei Rock (433 ft high) – Since the time of Ancient Greece, there have been legends of sirens, women-creatures who lure sailors to their death with sweet songs. Ancient Germanic legend places one such siren (Lorelei) here, and it is said she entices sailors to destruction below the rock. One of our program directors took on the persona of Lorelei as she pranced around the ship.
Marksburg Castle
Stolzenfels Castle
In the afternoon, we arrived in Koblenz. The city dates back to about 8 BC when the Romans built a fortification here to protect and control the land around the confluence of the Rhine and Mosel – Both important highways for trade.
This fountain depicts the history of Koblenz from its Roman beginnings to the destruction during WWII and its reconstruction.
This memorial of an angel found in front of the Church of Our Lady has symbols from Islam, Judaism, and Christianity to honor all faiths.
Tomorrow morning, we arrive in Cologne, our final German city for this trip.
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