Mama wanted to take a break and not get up early as we had a 8 am excursion time and the castle we were supposed to visit was a steep climb with insane cobblestones. I got up and went on the bus. We docked in Koblenz and rode up to Marksburg Castle. The leaves are starting to turn here so it felt very fall. The castle dates back to the 13th century. It was amazing to see something that was so primitive compared to the castles we visited in England and Scotland. There was an amazing view over the Rhine from all directions.
The ship came and picked us up below in Braubach, a pretty little town in the valley that’s on the way up to the castle. The trip down the Rhine was incredible after we left. I just counted in the guidebook and we saw around 14 castles on this stretch of the trip. Sitting on the top deck you get a 360 degree view. Many of the castles are now privately-owned, and get subsidy money from the government. Some have been converted into hotels. A few are just ruins.
Along the way are vineyards on the sides of the mountains. The hillsides are really steep, and it’s very interesting compared to what you see in California. We passed by an interesting church in which you must enter a bar on the way in! See photo- you can see the church on the back half of a building.
We docked later in the afternoon in Rüdesheim, a small touristy town. We took a toy-like train from the boat up into the heart of the tourist district. We skipped the antique musical instrument museum and headed out and about. It was a cute little town, but it was reminded me of a mini-Myrtle Beach due to all the cheesy tourist pandering and cheap souvenir shops.
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