05 October 2014
With only 3 days left in Germany, still so much to see and do and 850 km till our next destination, we decided to embark on a driving expedition. We left Augsburg and drove along the Romantic Route which we had just cycled. Obviously, the drive was so much quicker and easier and we got to see more beautiful medieval towns further along the route. Towards the end of the route, we took a detour and made our way towards the Rhein Valley where we stopped off in Rudesheim for the night. We parked our van in a quiet street next to a vineyard and set off to explore the town. We made dinner on our gas stove in a park which overlooked the Rhein river like hobo's. The sunset over the river was beautiful. Smartly dressed people made their way to dine on the massive cruise ships which were parked along river banks and blocked our view. After sunset, we took a walk around the town and did some window shopping. As it was quite late, most places were closed and their was not too much happening around. We eventually headed back up to our car and had a peaceful nights rest until we were woken by the roar of tractors and jolly farmers in the morning.
After a delicious breakfast from the local bakery, we took a slow drive along the River Rhein to take in some of the views, castles, vineyards and fortresses. We expected lots of tourists, but all the villages seemed really quiet with nobody in sight and not too much to do. The middle Rhine has over 40 castles and fortresses along its banks, as well as loads of wine farms. The stretch runs between Rudesheim and Koblenz and is marked as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Our first stop over was to visit the statue of Loreley, a mermaid statue situated on a narrow piece of land in the Rhein River. This part of the river is said to be very dangerous with strong currents and is the narrowest and deepest section of the river. The tale behind the statue dates back several centuries and is popular in many German songs and poems. According to legend, A beautiful mermaid (Loreley), would sit along this stretch and sing such lovely songs which would distract the sailors causing them to crash into the rocks.
We followed the scenic road all along the river, stopping regularly to walk around the little towns or look at a big castle along the river. We then accidentally crossed over into Netherlands and decided to stop off in a nearby town to sleep.
Tomorrow, we head for Rotterdam!!! Time to be DUTCH