The Trip That Keeps Growing: 13 October 2023 Sailing the Rhine River and Boppard

13 October 2023 Sailing the Rhine River and Boppard

The Rhine River starts in the Swiss Alps where it forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein, Swiss-Austrian, Swiss-German and then the France-German border. It then flows up stream through Germany and the Netherlands before emptying into the North Sea. It is the second longest river in Western Europe at 760 miles (the Danube is the longest). It is not until you reach Basel, Switzerland that the river is navigable for cargo and passenger ships. Since the days of the Roman Empire, it has been a very important waterway and it was supported by many fortified castles built on the high ridges along its banks. It is a very busy waterway, and we were constantly passing other boats.

This morning we sailed through what has been called the most beautiful part of the Rhine River. It is a stretch of about 100 miles that is studded with castles on both sides of the river with quaint little towns located on the banks of the river. And all along the sides of the hills are beautiful, well-groomed vineyards. Most of the grapes have already been harvested, so the vineyards are beginning to turn yellow and brown, with still fields mixed in. Such a beautiful countryside vista.

Of course, the big event was sailing past the Lorelei Rock. According to the legend, a beautiful siren lived on the rock, combing her hair, and luring sailors to their death on the reef below the rock with her beautiful song. But we have a great captain, and he was not deterred by the actions of our “lovely” siren. The rock itself was nothing spectacular – it is dangerous only because the river narrows at this point, makes a sharp bend, and is known for its dangerous cross-winds and currents. At the far end of the rock is a statue of the Lorelei. Today was the coldest day yet, so we stayed inside the lounge (instead up the upper Sundeck) and only went out on the ship's deck to take pictures. (Note: The pictures are in reverse order.)

Statue of Lorelei

Lorelei Rock

Vineyards on the Rock

Town along the Rhine

Castle and town along the Rhine

Town along the Rhine

Castle used to collect taxes on the Rhine

Vineyards along the Rhine

Castle and Town along the Rhine

Town along the Rhine

Castle and Town along the Rhine

Castle along the Rhine - now a hostel

Castle along the Rhine

At the conclusion of our sail, we arrived at the small town of Boppard, again another Roman town where there are still remnants of the 4th century wall and the old Roman fort. We were docked about as far away from the city center as possible, so we all got our exercise this morning. The pedestrian walkway along the waterfront is called the Rhine Promenade with its backdrop of the twin white towers of the Church of St. Severus (Stevens) and beautiful of flower beds and boxes that were still in bloom.

Our first stop was to Carmelite Church which was built in the 14^th century to honor Our Lady Mary. In addition to several statues and paintings of Mary inside the church, there is the Grape Madonna on one of the outside walls. Every year the first wine of the season is brought here to be blessed.

The main part of town is very small, but filled with quaint stores for shopping, especially the Christmas Shop. Of interest are the small bronze plaques, called Stumbling Stones, located in front of some of the homes, identifying the former Jewish citizens that were forcibly removed and killed by the Nazis in WWII (the placement of the plaques denote the last place these people lived or were seen alive). The fountain in the center of the main square is dedicated to the Thonet chair, a very popular chair mainly used in cafes. It is made of only 6 pieces of wood that has been bent to form the shape of the chair. At the conclusion of our short walk, our Program Director walked us up to see the ruins of the Roman Wall that once encircled the town.

As we left the town to head back to the ship we stopped at the Basilica of St. Sevens one of the best examples of the Romanesque style in Europe. It was built over the ruins of Roman baths in the 12 century. Inside the church is a hanging cross from 1225 and spider web-like vaulted ceilings. Today its twin spires, topped by pointed helmets, stand as the iconic symbol of Boppard.

Today was a very relaxing day with the morning sail up the Rhine, a wonderful walk through the town of Boppard with its half-timbered homes and shops, and then a quiet afternoon on board the ship.