Day 4: Rhine Castles and a River Cruise
Daily Briefing
Our morning was spent with Herr Jung, our local Bacharach guide. Calling him a guide does not do him justice. At 83 years of age, he's lived through the bombings of WWII and was old enough to have seen the injustices caused by the Nazis. He spoke of things like true hunger, eating salt because there was no food. He knew the horror of neighbors disappearing during the Holocaust and the suffering that continued after the war. He spent years as a schoolmaster and filled his talk with stories of former students that he helped long after graduation and of the refugees from more recent conflicts who’s lives he has changed for the better. Herr Jung’s tour told us of life here in the Middle Ages, the time when Bacharach was a booming trade town and for a short time the capital of the Holy Roman Empire. He showed us the towers once important to the town’s defense and described life along the Rhine.
Later we rode the bus to St. Gore to visit the town and the Rhinefels Castle. We had a delicious picnic lunch with Paloma and Margie. Picking up groceries to share for lunch not only gives you a chance to sample local cuisines but also allows you to control your calories while saving money and having fun with new friends. The climb up the mountain to the Rhinefels castle was fairly challenging but it was great exercise. When we arrived, we were met by our guide Gaby and a splendid view of the Rhine. We were given a lesson on medieval history and a tour of the dungeons and tunnels in the castle. Upon our return to St. Gore, we cruised the Rhine on a riverboat while enjoying fine Rhine wines and viewing the medieval castles that lined the banks. Upon our arrival at Bacharach, we played the "name game" where we stood in a circle and recited each group members name. This fun game also helped us remember the names of our fellow tour members. I found that the younger you were, be better you did. The very youngest amongst us performed extremely well. |
Image of the Day
|
Daily Photo Gallery
A Few Words About: The Hotels
The hotels on a Rick Steves' Tour are all located close to town, well kept, mostly family owned and very clean. They are not fancy but also not spartan. We both enjoyed them all because you could go out at night and without much of a walk be in the center of town. I especially enjoyed the fact that I could take lots of early morning and late night photos. The fact that we stayed two nights in most hotels made it practical to stay out a little longer on late night photo shoots.
Click on the first picture to see hotel names and comments.
Click on the first picture to see hotel names and comments.