Niederwald and the view

Overlooking the Rhein, is one of the most picturesque modern temples you might find, without slugging it up hills in Greece.

Built in 1790 by Graf von Ostein it became the source of inspiration for many great intellectuals during the Romantic era (the 19th Century) with visitors including Beethoven and Goethe. Standing in the middle of the rotunda and looking out, its easy to see why its such a place of inspiration. 

Sadly, bombs destroyed the temple in November 1944 ( like so much of Germany), but it was fully reconstructed about 10 years ago - which is why it looks so beautiful I guess now.

The main attraction for people here is the huge  Niederwald Monument. It was built  between 1877 and 1883 and stands an impressive 38 metres tall.

You can see it all along hte Rhein from the boats and from the roads for miles. It was erected to symbolise the re-establishment of the German Empire following the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871.  The main figure symbolises Germania who thrusts the German Imperial Crown up into the sky whilst resting the left on the Imperial word.

Bus loads of people are here all day, every day.

This is the view from the vantage point below the monument - overlooking the vineyards.

Rudesheim Am Rhein

Rudesheim is one of those chocolate box, straight out of Grimms Fairytale style villages along the Rhein.

Usually teaming with tourists at every season, the main shopping street - the Drosselgasse was deserted today. It was miserable and wet; the first really wintery day we have had here in Germany. 

The Drosselgasse is lined with wine gardens, restaurants which normally boasts oompa pa bands and traditional German music and one would normally have to jostle their way through the bus loads of tourists who are all desperate to buy their souvenirs and get on the next boat cruise up the river. 

We plan on coming back at Christmas time to attempt to buy 'proper' Christmas hand crated gifts - such as the beautiful lacework window placemats or the nutcrackers.  I know cookcoo clocks are a bit touristy and daggy - but after going into one of the showrooms, I kinda want one. Starting at a mere ( cough cough) 120 pounds ( and going up over 1000), I think they are safe from my purchasing powers.

It was really nice just to wander around the town, peep in the shop window fronts and munch on a bratwurst bought from a street vendor. 

Its only 45 mins drive from where we are staying, so with a few more things to see here, I think we will be back. There is a good music museum filled with unusual musical instruments and plenty of interesting tudor style homes to look at. 

Rhein River Cruise

Our housesitting role in Germany is in the Rhein region - full of vineyards, trailing along the beautiful Rhein, which is populated by cute little villages and crumbling castles. 

We have been focusing on the homeschooling and gap filling of concepts, so haven't ventured much out over the past few weeks.  Additionally, our very tight budget doesn't really allow us to go very many places. We have visited most of the interesting spots within an hour and half drive in previous trips to this part of Germany and the kids are a little sick of cathedrals and museums. Having the information and tours in German makes it a little harder for me to 'sell it to them".

However cabin fever has set in, so we ventured out on this cloudy, chilly day to take a river cruise to look at some of the castles.

We were blessed with some clear sky and were able to sit on the front for a little while, but the driving rain forced us inside pretty quickly. We had planned on getting off at one of the castles and going inside, but the teaming rain wouldn't allow the boat to dock, so it turned around and went back to our starting point up the river. We aren't too put out about this, as its an easy hours drive from our housesitting spot, so we may venture out on a different day and take a picnic with us. 

Its little wonder that the Rhein is so famous. Its wide stretches of water, deep river banks and rich soil has attracted tourists, invaders and merchants for centuries. 

Below are a few of our shots along the way.