We reached the end of the Moselle River at Deutsches Eck this morning. There’s a huge statue of Emperor William I at the promontory; it was erected in 1897, destroyed down to the plinth during World War II, and re-erected in 1993 after German unification.
We sailed up the Rhine, passing fairy-tale castles like Marksburg.
We reached Boppard just before lunch and took a quick walk along the Rhine. Boppard is a very cute town; here’s the house directly opposite our docking place.
Martin, our tour manager, says that the dog in this house’s window has been faithfully watching for at least 10 years.
We happened to be there for the annual Onion Market, which has been happening since the Middle Ages – these days, there were a lot of merchants selling random stuff (at least three booths with knives and other tools, several with yarn, and quite a few selling clothes that I’m sure were not made in the EU). I almost bought an articulated dental mirror to use when trying to look behind things at home, but didn’t like the feel of it – where is Edmund Scientific when you need them?
(Photo courtesy of Boppard Tourism)
We took a “Masterpiece Collection” excursion to Castle Ehrenburg in the afternoon. It was built in the 12th century and like Yoda, it looks pretty good for its age.
The castle includes a hotel and spa, but if you’re on a limited budget, you can stay in one of their medieval wagons.
There’s a beautiful church (St. Margaretha Catholic Church) across the Rhine; we won’t get to visit it (the nearest bridge across the river is an hour’s drive away), but I couldn’t resist taking its picture. They call themselves a “cycle path church” and offer air pumps and patches as well as spiritual blessings!
After dinner, we went for a stroll to the downtown. Things were very quiet, though the restaurants were busy. I liked the way Basilika St. Severus was lit up.
