Castles Villages & Vineyards Oh My

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Sailing The Romantic

 Rhine Gorge 

Downstream from Rüdesheim is the dramatic RHINE GORGE, the most beautiful stretch of river. Here, ancient castles stand sentry on lofty cliffs rising 400 feet above the waters.

Our afternoon was spent cruising past castles, villages, and vineyards.  One highlight included sailing past the legendary rock of the Lorelei, where echoes of enchanted siren song lured unwitting sailors to their doom. We enjoyed the afternoon relaxing on board on the Sky Deck as Mark, our Cruise Director, provided narrative.

 

Rhine & Moselle

Confluence

The confluence of the Moselle and Rhine is at Koblenz and here we entered the Moselle River, some 312-miles long, which rises in the Vosges Mountains of northeastern France and enters Germany at Trier.


Watch this video for an example of the scenery along the Rhine River.  The highlight of this video is Pfalzgrafenstein (the Pfalz), a mid-river toll castle near Kaub, erected in 1328. We have lots more video footage to process. We'll be posting additional videos to our YouTube Channel, so be sure to subscribe to that as well.

   

Rhine & Moselle River Cruise (Play all videos)

Video Diary of Avalon Rhine & Moselle River Cruise on Artistry II. This was a 13 day river cruise that started in Zurich, Switzerland and concluded in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Additional photos can be found on our Rhine & Moselle Shutterfly page:

Romantic Rhine Cruising

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Rüdesheim Shopping

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Christmas Shop

After concluding our cable car ride, there was time for some shopping on the way back to the ship.   Right at the base of the cable car was Kathe Wohlfahrt Christmas Shop.   We had a discount coupon provided by the ship, so of course there's nothing like Christmas in July.

Umbrellas to Wine

There were several quaint shops along the 20 minute walk back to the ship. What's on your shopping list?  Maybe an umbrella to help keep the rain away would be a good selection.   Or
some local Riesling wine to bring home (if you don't drink it during the rest of the cruise)? 

Life is Short ...

Eat Dessert First

Even though it was almost lunch time, there's nothing wrong with having your last course first.   There were several ice cream stands along the way.  We opted for a simple one scoop cone.

For The Railroad Buffs

The short walk back to the ship includes a section where you need to walk along the railroad tracks and then eventually cross them.  You might be lucky enough to see one or more trains before you end up at the pier.  Just before crossing the tracks, there was a bank, where we replenished our Euros from the ATM.

Our Ship Awaits

Everyone needed to be back onboard the vessel by 1:15 PM so that we could sail from Rüdesheim.  Lunch choices included the buffet in the main dining room or the Grill Lunch on the Sky Deck.  Lunch was served starting at 12:30 PM.   We opted for the buffet lunch.

Rüdesheim Sail-Away

We got back to the ship early enough so that we'd be done with lunch by the time the ship cast off from the dock.  The rest of the day we were sailing the Romantic Rhine Gorge.

We'll tell you more about that in our next post.

Additional photos can be found on our Rhine & Moselle Shutterfly page:

Rüdesheim - Return Ship

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Cable Car in Rüdesheim

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Seilbahn  Rüdesheim 

A highlight of any visit to Rüdesheim is the ride in a cable car up to the Germania (Niederwald) Monument. The awe-inspiring panoramic views over Rüdesheim's oldtown and the shimmering waters of the Rhine dotted with green isles make the smooth glide over the vineyards a very special experience.

Experience what the ride is like in this short video segment:




The entire visit took about an hour - 15 minutes each way by cable car and 30 minutes on top to go to the monument and take photos of the surrounding area.   The cost was not included in our excursion, it was 7,00 euro round-trip per person.

Niederwald Monument


The monument was constructed to commemorate the foundation of the German Empire (Unification of Germany) after the end of the Franco-Prussian War. It overlooks the valley of the Rhine and was built in the 1870/80s.

The central figure is the 10.5 metres (34 ft) tall Germania figure. In the sculptured impression, Germania holds the recovered crown of the emperor in the right hand and in the left the Imperial Sword.

Rhine & Moselle River Cruise (Play all videos)

Video Diary of Avalon Rhine & Moselle River Cruise on Artistry II. This was a 13 day river cruise that started in Zurich, Switzerland and concluded in Amsterdam, Netherlands. 

Additional photos can be found on our Rhine & Moselle Shutterfly page:

Rüdesheim - Cable Car

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Rüdesheimer Coffee Tasting

Rüdesheimer Schloss Hotel 

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Following our visit to Siegfried's Museum of Mechanical Instruments, we walked a short distance to the Rüdesheimer Schloss Hotel where tables were awaiting us in the courtyard. Avalon Artistry II crew had arranged for a special treat, tasting of a brandy-based coffee, known as Rüdesheimer coffee.

Rüdesheimer coffee didn’t come on the scene until 1957, when German TV chef Hans Karl Adam created a drink that combined Asbach brandy, coffee, sweetened whipped cream and dark-chocolate shavings. Flames are involved.

Making the Coffee

The brandy is poured in first and ignited, coffee is poured on top to put out the flames. A large amount of whipped cream is added and the chocolate shavings add the final touch. You have a treat that even my husband, who is not a coffee drinker, enjoyed.

 In 1892, Hugo Asbach started making a brandy here that he promised would rival the best French cognac. Over the years, Asbach brandy has won a slew of awards. It’s one of Germany’s most famous spirits.

We were entertained with live music during our visit as well. Owner,Heinrich Breuer, welcomed us and told us about the history behind the famous coffee. If you liked, you could purchase the complete coffee-making kit, including the mugs, to take home (several folks did).

Rhine & Moselle River Cruise (Play all videos)

Video Diary of Avalon Rhine & Moselle River Cruise on Artistry II. This was a 13 day river cruise that started in Zurich, Switzerland and concluded in Amsterdam, Netherlands. 

Additional photos can be found on our Rhine & Moselle Shutterfly page:

Rüdesheimer Coffee Tasting

Click on the image to the left for more Blog posts about this trip.

Follow us on Twitter: @ChrisPappinMCC  Pinterest: CruiseWithChris Pappin and Facebook: CruiseWithChris Pappin Cruises Inc