We took a day trip to the “Romantic Rhine” – specifically the area more prosaically known as the Upper Middle Rhine. This UNESCO World Heritage site features about 40 castles in a 65 kilometer stretch between Bingen and Koblenz. Unfortunately, the first part of the day turned out to be gray and cloudy, so the beauty of the area was rather muted. It was still pretty, however. We drove up the left bank from Bingen to Koblenz, stopping at several places to look around. Bacharach was a really pretty little town; if we’d had more time we would have stopped to spend a couple of hours there.
We went up to Koblenz and then drove over the river so we could drive down the other bank. We stopped at Loreley Rock, but for some reason the visitor’s center there seemed to be closed. We did climb up to look over the river from the top. While we were at Loreley, the sun came out, so we got a chance to see the lovely fall colors in the sunlight. It was a bit breezy, though, so we didn’t get to hear the echoes.
We crossed the river on a ferry at Rüdesheim and stopped to see the vine-clad hills of Bingen, fair Bingen on the Rhine. We explored a bit of the city center and walked down to look over the river, before getting a quick bite to eat and heading home. It was a nice day trip, although I think if we go again, we’ll take one of the boat cruises on the river.
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