After hearing rain intermittently during the night, I woke up in very overcast St. Goar and started the day with a climb up the steep hill to the Rheinfels castle. The weather was gloomy, but grey weather seemed fitting for a visit to medieval castle ruins. Burg Rheinfels cwas one of the most impressive castles during its glory years, but the castle fell into disrepair about 200 years ago. The shell remains one of the more impressive castle sights in the Rhine Valley to tour. The rain held off while I was at the site, but after touring for two hours I was ready to go. The grounds were filled with school groups, and passing through dark and narrow hallways with very exuberant wooden-shield and sword carrying children lost its appeal quickly.
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| Rheinsfeld Castle |
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| Wooden tatues among the vineyards |
I wandered back down the hills, through the vineyards, and into town for lunch. During lunch, the rain returned, and I decided to pass on my afternoon bike riding plans - for some reason every time I planned on a bike ride during this trip, it rained. I hope this stops when I get back to Cape Cod!
Instead of bike riding, I decided to take an earlier ferry and see another town along the way. The ferry was so much fun and a fantastic tour of the Rhine. I was amazed at how many castles are concentrated into such a small stretch - many of the castles are in sight of one or two other castles. I wonder how many of these Barons and Princes were friends versus enemies, given that they were practically next-door neighbors. I also wondered how they were able to find large enough realms and peasants to support the construction of these massive structures, although many of the castles were built over centuries. I'm sure Google could quickly provide the answer to my curiosity; something else to do when I get back home.
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| Auf Wiedersefehen, St. Goar! |
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| Rheinfels, as viewed from the river |
The ferry was the best part of the day, although interestingly, I would place the average age of the passengers at about 70. For a moment I was concerned that I had crashed a senior citizen's tour group. But the crowd didn't seem to mind my presence, and the boat ride was wonderful. After about 45 minutes, the ferry dropped us off at the larger town of Boppard. The town was very picturesque and I was curious as to why it wasn't included in Rick Steves' places to see. My only guess is that the town seemed much more crowded with tourists, although I bet the place was much more happening after 8pm than St. Goar. The hostel in St. Goar locked the front door at 11pm, because there really wasn't any place else for guests to be in town after that hour.
I killed some time waiting for the train to Koblenz at a cafe overlooking the Rhine while enjoying more of the region's dry Rieslings. The train ride to Koblenz was also scenic, with several more castles along the way and lots of vineyards. After changing trains in Koblenz for Luxembourg, I took my last train ride of this trip through the Mosel valley, which was likewise beautiful and filled with vineyards. I arrived in Luxembourg about 7.30pm and walked the 1km to my hostel, although the trip was lengthened by my getting a bit turned around and lost.
Luxembourg seems very nice, although I was warned that the city is a bit dull. I could see that this might be true, although the nightlife looked decent - I passed by several places that were getting started for the night and already crowded. Also, three out of five of my fellow dorm mates came home separately between the hours of 4am and 6am, so I've got to imagine there's something worth staying awake for in Luxembourg.
I, however, spent just long enough at the hostel to grab dinner before heading to bed. While I thought about heading out for one last night to celebrate the end of my trip, I decided I'd be better served getting some sleep to celebrate my return.
There's still my three hour layover in Amsterdam if I decide I need to go out with a bang. Heading home tomorrow. I have lots of mixed feelings, but I'll write more about them when I'm back home!
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