Castles On The Rhine

Today was our Rhine River day and the weather was beautiful. We decided to take a chance and try to bike from Bacharach (where we are staying) to St. Goar to see the Rheinfels castle ruins. The distance was about 10 miles each way, almost all on bike paths and flat along the river. Renting bikes for a family isn't exactly cheap at around $15 per bike per day. In fact, it makes a person wonder how much it would cost to bring bikes from home. But it's a great activity on a pleasant day - much better than sitting in a car.

The ride went well except for the one spot in St. Goar where the ferries drop people off and the bike path evaporates. In the confusion of people (mostly older and not exactly aware of their surroundings) Joshua ran into one lady in her late 70's or so. Thankfully, she was alright, but she was throwing daggers with her eyes at Joshua and the rest of us, unable to understand our apologies.

The attraction of this part of the Rhine River are all of the castles that line the banks. It is delightful to be biking and see another castle around every bend in the river and remnants of medieval town wall towers dotting each village. The overall effect is very similar to our experience in the Dordogne River region of France last year. The building materials, style, and landscape are a bit different, but the general result is very similar. Some of the castles are now privately owned, some are museums, some are in ruins, and others have been converted to hotels or hostels, like ours.

In the past, we have had many one night stays in various locations. This year, we made sure that the minimum was two, because one night stays are so stressful with a family of five, packing and unpacking, always worrying that something will be left behind. Our stay in Bruges was two nights and now that even feels short. Tonight is our middle night of three in our hostel in Bacharach and it is so comforting to know that we don't have to pack up tomorrow. We still have another day to explore the nearby Mosel River villages and sights.

Tonight was also our laundry night. The hostel has machines and we washed a few things out in the bathroom sink as well. It's not glamorous doing laundry, but what else are you going to do with your clothes on a five-week trip? It has to be done. I'm just glad the weather has turned summery and we don't have to wear the same jeans and sweatshirts every day, and in every photograph...