"The most beautiful road in Europe"
The question is often asked here: what to see in Germany?
Take a day trip on a boat on the Rhine and you will take home a lot of impressions from the trip!
The most beautiful section of the road from Rü desheim to Koblenz. Here, on both sides of the river, there are more than 40 medieval castles. Every year we do this tour of the Rhine, we take a certain section of the route, such that it takes 1 day, (there and back) because the Rhine is long and you can’t sail it in 1 day. If you swim in one direction with the current for 3 hours, then it’s already 5 hours back, because the ship swims very slowly against the current. Navigation of tourist boats usually opens at the end of April, you don’t need to buy tickets in advance, we arrive at the pier, buy a ticket (round trip) at a convenient time for us, usually in the morning, and set sail. The ticket price depends on the distance we are going to sail, usually it is 25.00 - 35.00 euros per person. There are all sorts of different boats floating there: long and not very long, 2-3 deck ones, and on the very top deck there are free places for tourists to have a better view. There are chairs, some tables, all made of plastic, a small bar with drinks, ice cream, etc. Prices, of course, are higher than in the city, but not by much. The lower decks are restaurants, where you can order both hot dishes and salads, depending on the category of the ship. We usually go down there on the way back, order ice cream (5.00-6.00 euros) and enjoy the end of the trip in a cozy atmosphere.
The Rhine is a river with a very strong current, especially in narrow places, it even takes your breath away, as narrow as it can be. Very navigable at any time of the year: barges sail one after the other in both directions. Once in all the time we saw a barge with our Russian flag, because they usually sail under the Dutch, French, German flags. The river constantly meanders, sometimes behind a sharp turn it is not at all clear how and where it flows further. On both banks of the river there are roads and railways. For cyclists, a lane is specially allocated where cars do not enter, so that they can ride on it calmly, knowing that this is only their "territory". And the shores around - you can't take your eyes off: rocks, gorges, mountains, vineyards and, of course, castles!
Some legend is connected with each of the castles, you can’t describe everything. Especially famous is the legend of the beautiful mermaid Lorelai, upon hearing whose singing, not a single man could resist. The rock on which Lorelai liked to sit, combing her long hair, rises 130 meters above the river. And what kind of view from there opens up on castles, meanders of the river, nearby towns, beyond words. Although the mermaid statue itself does not stand on this rock, but much lower, just on the banks of the Rhine.
Very beautiful is the famous "German Corner", the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle in Koblenz. (About the Mosel is a separate story) There is a monument to Emperor Wilhelm 1, crowds of tourists around and everyone is taking pictures, taking pictures....
There are many other tourist routes on the Rhine: for example, having arrived on the mountain in Niederwald, you can go down to the Rhine by cable car to the town of Rü desheim, take a small boat, swim to the town of St. Goarshausen, it's about 40 minutes, then climb the same up the other cable car and from the other side. There is a splendid observation deck from which there is also a breathtaking view of the Rhine. Moreover, when you look at the river from top to bottom, it is always in a haze. And all this pleasure costs 10.00-12.00 euros per person.
Any corner of the Rhine, any castle, any car route, as if all this was specially created for exciting and leisurely excursions, which are simply impossible to refuse and not enjoy!
