Cruising the Rhine
On June 19th we jumped back into the tourist lifestyle by taking a cruise on the Rhine River. It was about an hour's drive along the river to Koblenz. We passed through many small villages and saw the remains of Ludendorff Bridge, the site of the Battle of Remagen in World War II.
As we loaded onto the boat I couldn't help but gawk at the huge Ehrenbreitstein Fortress and the cable cars that crossed the river. If we had time later in the day, I would head that direction for sure!
The entire Upper Middle Rhine River Valley -- all 65 km of it -- is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are 40 castles all along the valley, clusters of picturesque villages, and vineyards that have been planted there for over 1,000 years. Writers and artists have been inspired by the valley for hundreds of years and it helped give rise to the Romanticism movement.
The tour company had an app that allowed you to learn about sights along the way. One of my favorite stories was that of Thurnberg, also known as Maus Castle (top right below). The castle was built in the 1300s by an archbishop when he was given the rights to collect tolls on the river. The rival power in the area were the Counts of Katzenelnbogen who built Burg Katz, the "Cat's Castle," a much bigger fortress. It was said that Thurnberg was a mouse that was threatened to be eaten by the cat, hence the nickname Berg Maus, "Mouse Castle." Ironically, during the Thirty Years' War in the 1600s, Burg Katz and the other castle belonging to the Counts of Katzenelnbogen, Burg Rheinfels, were destroyed, but Berg Maus was undamaged.
Castles everywhere! Stolzenfels Castle, Thurnberg (a.k.a. Maus Castle), Marksburg, and Burg Katz.
It was still a very warm day, but the relaxing cruise was a nice contrast to the hustle and bustle of Cologne. It was a great time to get some treats and talk to many of my Fulbright colleagues. Besides the obvious benefit of being able to explore a foreign country, one of the best things about this trip has been all of the great conversations with like-minded teachers from across the United States. I've participated in several professional development opportunities that have had a big impact on my teaching, but I've made more connections with this group of teachers than any other. I have no doubt that many of us will be keeping in touch long after this trip is over.
Our cruise lasted for several hours and sometime during our return trip north, the wind picked up and cooled us off nicely. When we disembarked, a small group of us headed right for the cable cars. Even though the tours were ending for the day, we took the ride to the top and explored as much of the fortress as week could. The views of the valley and of the confluence of the two rivers were incredible. It was easy to see why people have occupied this spot for thousands of years.
Ehrenbreitstein Fortress is one of the largest fortresses in Europe. It was first settled in 4,000 BCE!
Once we were back below, the four of us wandered around the point known as German Corner, home to a massive statue of Emperor Wilhelm I (a.k.a. William I), and then back towards the center of Koblenz where most of our group had been hanging out. It was time for dinner, but I opted to indulge in gelato instead of a proper dinner (shhh, don't tell my wife). What a fun way to spend the day!
The monument to Emperor Wilhelm I and a lion-shaped mooring ring at the Deutsches Eck ("German Corner") where the Moselle River connects to the Rhine.
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