The Rhine Valley

Tuesday July 24, 2012 Today we docked in Rudesheim. Rudesheim marks the southern entrance to the romantic Rhine Valley, a 40 mile gorge where the river is squeezed to its narrowest and deepest point making it more difficult to navigate. The Lorelei rock rises on the cliff above the river and comes with the legend of a woman whose singing bewitched the hearts of ancient sailors, causing them to crash. The entire town is a part of the Rhine Gorge, a UNESCO World Heritage Site recognized for its unigue combination of geology, history and culture, and one of the country's most important tourist destinations. We took a bus to the Marksburg Castle. This is a very primitive castle with uneven steps and lots of climbing. I was a little hesitant since my knees have been hurting so much. I went anyway and I am very happy I did. I made it up and down and was very happy I went. Rudesheim is a winemaking town known primarily for its Riesling grapes, the area produces mainly high-quality white wines like the Rudesheimer Reisling. Another local wine variety, the Ehrenfelser, was named for the Ehrenfels castle which is located amidst the vineyards on the steep eastern bank of the river. The castle was built in the early 13th century and, along with the Mouse Tower, it served both as a barrier and a toll station controlling travel along the Rhine. The bishop of Mainz became its proprietor in 1370 and in 1688 the fortress was nearly completely destroyed by the French during the Palatine War of Succession. Today it is considered one of the most beautiful and picturesque castle ruins on the river. Whentraveling along these rivers, the water levels change frequently so we go through some 50 locks before we reach our final destination. On the Moselle River we had to go through the locks to be lowered to accomodate the drops in the river. On the Rhine and the Main rivers we had to be lifted up to accomodate the higher water levels. It is really weird to look out your window and see the walls of the lock. My brother-in-law Rick has been stricten with a stomach bug. He really looks bad and has been staying in his cabin. We have learned that during our initial departure in cochem, the ship ran aground slightly and damaged a rudder. When we dock in Heidleberg everyone will need to get off the ship as it will be going to the dry dock for a repair of the rudder. This means that Rick will need to be well enough to leave the ship for a day. I am learning to enjoy white wine again. All along the river we see miles of grape vines just waiting to be crushed into wine. We also see many castles. I have lots of great photos but have not figured out how to transfer them into my blog. The pics may need to wait until I get home. I talked with the cruise director about having a Sabbath service on board on Friday evening. They have never done it but they were very anxious to try it. We agreed that we would hold a short service at 6:45 pm Friday before dinner and that the ship would provide a challah and wine. We can't have candles because of the fire hazard. We don't have any prayer books or a printed service but I think we can make it nice. My sister, Sandi, gave the head chef her challah recipe and he is very enthusiastic about trying this.