Traveling the Rhine could be a taxing experience

Bacharach, Germany

Traveling the Rhine could be a taxing experience
Bacharach, Germany

We watched black swan on the flight and neither of us saw the end before we were asleep. The flight was comfortable and we arrived on time. Our rental car ended up being a BMW 320 convertible. And yes, Russellito, it is a hard top. But I not sure the top will go back up before we check it in because the weather is beautiful. No clouds, nice breeze, temperature in the mid 70’s…this is unseasonably warm for this time of year in Germany.

We made a quick decision to take a detour on the way to Bacharach. Burg Eltz is one if the best castles to tour in Europe. It has been in the same family since the 1200’s. The castle has had many additions since that time but most if the furnishings and decor are from the 1500’s. And for that reason it is special. Fortunately for the owners, they have made enough money with entry tickets to do some much needed exterior structural work. As it turns out, structural engineers have learned a few things since the 1200’s and they needed to apply this knowledge to keep the castle standing for future generations. So the exterior roof and walls had scaffolding all around them. The exterior was disappointing but the interior made it worth the visit.

We jumped back in the car and set the navigation to take us to our Bacharach hotel. Side note on the navigation system- we had a manly German speaking navigator when we started the trip. After a few adjustments we now receive our instructions from a lovely British woman. We have not been lost yet and like her. The only complaint is that she does not give enough warning for exits…yet that could be my fault for driving 170kph. I am sure we will developed a better working relationship tomorrow. the fact that she is speaking directions in my language is exceptionally helpful.

We have checked into the hotel and are enjoying a cold drink in the park sitting in the shade looking at the Rhine . Next on the agenda is the river cruise to check out the robber Barron castles and the historic Rhine river. We may run up to the Reinsfeld castle https://goo.gl/maps/ctoo5FxFhEz to tour the ruins or I may break out the telephoto lens and shoot pictures while drinking beer on the boat. Only time will tell.

Here is the story of the rhine:

For one thousand years, from 800 AD to 1800 AD, tolls were collected from ships sailing on the Rhine River in Europe. During this time, various feudal lords, among them archbishops who held fiefs from the Holy Roman Emperor, collected tolls from passing cargo ships to bolster their finances. Only the Holy Roman Emperor could authorize the collection of such tolls. Allowing the nobility and Church to collect tolls from the busy traffic on the Rhine seems to have been an attractive alternative to other means of taxation and funding of government functions. They abused their positions by stopping passing merchant ships and demanding tolls without being authorized by the Holy Roman Emperor to do so. Often iron chains were stretched across the river to prevent passage without paying the toll, and strategic towers were built to facilitate this. The Merchants had to pay multiple tolls or exchange precious cargo to pass these medievel toll stations. The decendents of these robber barrons now prey on tourists.

We had a great time on the river cruise to St. Goar and back. We sat on the top deck of the boat looking at the old castles and all the charming german houses along the river. When we arrived St. Goar, we got off the boat and walked around the small quaint town for a few hours until we headed back to Bacharach.

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Dinner was nice on the track-sided terrace of our hotel restaurant as we looked over the Rhine river. It also sat 10 feet from the train tracks there were a number if trains the seemed to pass through the restaurant at 60 mph during our dinner. Russell ordered the recommended dish, sauerbraten, marinated beef with potato dumplings and red cabbage. Melissa was more conservative and ordered pork loin covered in a mushroom sauce. Our waitress did not speak a lot of English, and the speed of her service would make her a perfect fit for a restaurant in Paris! (slow) The only thing that happen fast during dinner was the passing of trains. We intended to charge our dinner to the room, but our waitress didn’t understand us and we found out in the morning from the owner that she thought we walked her table. We obviously didn’t walk, I cant run that fast anymore. The bill was paid promptly in the morning with more than enough tip to make her feel good. Another payment of the stupid tax….