Castles of the Middle Rhine

After visiting Koblenz, we settled in back at the ship for a slow rolling down the Middle Rhine. The river narrows and the shorelines steepen. And we were treated to a string of medieval castles. This is perhaps the main highlight of sailing the Rhine.

I will share some of the photos but not attempt to name or describe the individual castles. One can refer to the illustration above or google the Middle Rhine to extract specifics.

Hopefully you have seen some of what made this three hours special. I would like to point out the vineyards in the photo above. It is hard to show just how steep the cultivated slopes are, but they reminded me of the Inca agriculture in Peru … except here, a quick stumble might not cost you your life !!

The statue above marks the spot of the Lorelei … a lovely young maiden whose beauty was so bewitching that she caused sailors to wreck their ships. The legend involved the Lorelei Rock which was located in a part of the river with strong and treacherous currents. The raging water striking the rock was taken for the singing of the maiden, calling to the sailors. Our crew mentioned the ABCs … Another Boring Castle Legend, all of which have nasty endings.
I will end this entry by stating that, if you have reservations at a particular castle or hotel, make sure you are driving on the correct side of the river. In three hours we did not see a single bridge and only one car ferry to cross if you miscalculated.