Castles Along the Rhine
The day proved to be one of sunshine and castles. Between Bingen and Bonn, the Middle Rhine River is saturated with them, from impressive fortresses to decorative follies.
The river is dotted with towns along the water’s edge, many with a castle (or three) perched above them, and often one in the town itself. This is a lush landscape, with vineyards filling every spare pieces of land. Many of the vineyards border on the vertical as they stretch up the sides of the gorge, and many a Rhine River castle clings to a hilltop or sits surrounded by grape vines.
People rode bikes alongside the water, while I could see others hiking in the hills. A railway line sneaked along on one side of the RHhne. During WWII many tunnels were decorate to look like small castles to prevent them being bombed. Some have survived.
Towards the end of the section is the cave and ledge where the Lorelei once sat, their songs luring sailors to their doom. Markers line the river, and at marker 555 a huge rock rises from the water. Some people stood at the top, and a sign at the bottom suggested this to be the famed spot. The legend is as variable as the songs and poems in which it has featured; one tale tells of a heartbroken young maiden who sings and leaps to her own death as she despairs over a faithless lover. The famous statue, however, lay about 100m down stream, looking much like a small mermaid overlooking the water.
With castles all around, It felt like playing ping pong as I turned from one side of the boat to the other as we cruised down the river. First there is one, then a few, then many, continuing as we drifted down the river. For anyone wanting to see some Rhine River castles, sitting on the deck of a boat to do so is highly recommended!
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I like this area as well. So picturesque!
I really like your blog. A pleasure to come stroll on your pages. A great discovery and very interesting blog. I’ll come back to visit you. Do not hesitate to visit my universe. See you soon.
Many thanks Angelilie xx