Rudesheim

 Our last stop on the cruise before we dock in Cologne was in Rudesheim which is a true Rhine wine town. As we cruised along the vineyards continued to shine…

We also passed the remnants of a bridge that became quite famous during WWII called the Remagen Bridge…

The Allies were having difficulty crossing the Rhine and were surprised to find this bridge still intact as the Germans had blown up other bridges to stop them from crossing to the other side. They immediately crossed over before the Germans tried more than once to blow it up. The crossing of the Rhine here however marked a decisive moment heralding the impending collapse of Germany. 

We were able to dock very close to Rudesheim and walked into town along the river…

The locals were enjoying the beautiful weather while enjoying some wine.

The tower as we entered town which at one time was part of the walled  town…

All the trees we see here are sycamore which have now been trimmed for the winter…

Lots of half timbered houses and other beautiful buildings…

As well as locals who have built their own castles…

Everywhere is evidence of this being a wine town…there is even an hotel where you can stay in a wine barrel like these..

There are many families that have small vineyards and they set up little restaurants in their gardens to taste their new wine while the family serves meals from their kitchen. The sign here indicates this family does this…

Grapes grow everywhere…

Flowers are still blooming everywhere…

The town is at the bottom of hills full of vineyards…

The statue on top of the hill was built in 1871 to commemorate the formation of the new German Empire.

Lots of pretty little streets…

Lots of shopping here including the traditional German beer steins…

The Germans are also well dressed…

Germany is known for many Christmas markets which will be starting soon so everywhere you go you see Christmas shops…

Rudesheim has a famous coffee which I tried…there are three sugar cubes in the bottom, then a local brandy is added and lit on fire. Then strong espresso is poured into the hot cup and topped with whipped cream…delicious but the most expensive cup of coffee ever! 

It was a very pleasant town to visit and by the time we left to walk back the lights were on and the sun was setting on the river…

That night there was a gala farewell supper with fancy dishes, we shared it with our new friends Ann and John. They are a daughter and father who we met the first day and shared our meals each evening. They were a delight to meet and John at age 90 was sharp as a tack. We shared many great conversations, again our trips are always enhanced by the people we meet.

Some fancy eats…

We also had to take a photo with our favourite employee, Wiwik from Bali. She greeted us every day with a smile and always ensured that Don got a large bowl of soup! 

Our cruise is coming to a close…it was well beyond our expectations and we would definitely recommend it. Now on to some travelling through Germany on our own.