Our destination today was the small (population of 9,922) town of Rüdesheim am Rhein, which is its official name. It is one of those idyllic small villages located on the banks of the Rhine River, surrounded by hills of vineyards. It is also the location of the Niederwalddenkmal monument built in 1883 commemorating the unification of Germany. Rüdesheim is a popular tourist destination for these reasons.

To get there we first had to travel through a section of the Rhine River noted for its large number (dozens) of castles located on the hillsides overlooking the river. These castles were built by princes and “robber-barons” who preyed on the boats that sailed on the river. We spent a leisurely morning lounging either topside (where it was rather cool- around 60 degrees) or in the lounge where we listened to commentary by Alina telling us about the history of the castles and their inhabitants. Many have been restored and now serve as luxury hotels.

Another famous landmark is the rock and statue called Loreley, located at a dangerous bend in the river. Legend has it that ships traversing this region of the river saw a fair maiden who distracted them with her beauty and songs, causing them to crash on the rocks in this treacherous section of the river. There is a statue of her at the edge of the sea. We were given glasses of champagne to celebrate our successful passage through the area.

We reached Rüdesheim about 2 PM and had a choice of three different local tours. We chose one that included a tram ride over the vineyards to an observation point above the valley, followed by a wine tasting in a local winery.  Rüdesheim is in the Rheingau region,  noted for their excellent Riesling wines. Wine making here dates back to the 12th century. However, there is evidence that the Romans grew grapes here in much earlier times. Although we had expected some showers we were greeted by lovely sunny, but cool (low 60s) weather so the ride on the gondola and subsequent views of the valley were spectacular.

The wine tasting occurred in the wine cellar of a small, family owned winery in town. The owner presented us with three of his Riesling wines: dry, semi-dry and sweet. All were excellent and surprisingly cost 10 Euros a bottle- a steal in my opinion. Too bad we cannot take a case home with us. I was surprised to learn they do not harvest the grapes until October/November, although global warming is causing the harvest time to occur earlier in the year. About half of the grapes have already been picked this year.

There is a famous small, narrow street in town called “Dosselstrasse” that is the home to many restaurants and wine gardens that feature food and music. Many serve a famous local coffee called Rüdesheim coffee. It is made by adding 3 cubes of sugar to a special goblet, followed by a warmed shot of local brandy (to dissolve the sugar), which is then flamed with a match. Next comes the coffee and a generous dollop of whipped cream with chocolate sprinkles to complete the process. It is not proper to mix the cream into the coffee; you drink straight from the cup which results in a whipped cream mustache.  We did not try it but Bruce and Jan did and heartily recommended it. Unfortunately they said it was so good they forgot to take a picture to commemorate the event!

By this time it was late afternoon and time to return to the ship. I had a map and was trying to figure out what direction to turn to get to the river. An elderly German couple saw us and stopped by to assist us. Even though they spoke no English, a few words and gestures gave us the necessary directions to find our way to the river. What lovely people!  It was a pleasant 10 minute walk along the river bank back to the ship with an opportunity to visit some of the small shops along the way. It was indeed a pleasant afternoon spent in the lovely German village of Rüdesheim. I wish we could have spent more time there.