Back in Bacharach, we see interesting sights at the riverfront.
Floods were a regular occurance in all the river towns we visited. Here (left) are some high water marks at Bacharach.
If you don't know what else to do with it, put flowers in it! (right)
Since we had our own castle right here in Bacharach, the Burg Stahleck, we decided we couldn't pass it up. This time we walked up. (Actually, we had no choice!)
Fine views from the trail (left) leading up to the castle.
The first thing of interest on the trail was the Werner Kapelle (right). It was destroyed in 1689, but the ruins now serve as a memorial to an incident involving the persecution of Jews in the 13th century and to the modern goal of the eradication of anti-semitism.
At the top of our climb, we saw that the Burg Stahleck castle has been restored to picture perfect condition. Since 1925 it has been used as a youth hostel. Now, instead of battlements and garderobes, it has coke machines and video games.
Fine views on the way down, too.
This goat seemed to be free to wander wherever it would like. It is standing atop a retaining wall holding back a vineyard.
Back down to town level (does that mean we are downtown) we find some more doors,
And enjoy some local beauty.
Shopping is a never ending delight. The proprietor of this gift shop (left) had the unique service of burning names onto wooden gift items. Marty bought a wooden train for grandson, Peter, and had it engraved.
This gift shop (right) was closed, but the sharp-as-a-tack owner (runs in the family) left explicit instructions. "If you have found the right thing, then please go around the corner and ring next to Grimm or telephone 06743/1392."
From here on it was all business. We had our plane to catch Tuesday morning. Monday night we settled our hotel bill and the Binzes were kind enough to deduct the cost of our breakfast which we would be leaving too early to eat with them.
We hit the road about 7:00 Tuesday morning, early enough to allow some time for delays. We hit heavy traffic as we got close to Frankfurt, even stopping in some places, but not seriously delayed. We found the gas station with only a little meandering. It was the only one on the entire trip that had a credit card reader at the pump, so there was a little hesitation in finding the right buttons to push. But it all worked and so we proceded to the car rental return (it was in a parking garage! Shudder!) with only a little more meandering. However, when we had first gotten the Opel out into the daylight three weeks ago we noticed some stains on the upholstery and thought that might cause us trouble on the return. But no problem. It was probably too dark for the agent to notice them either. Well, all hoops transited (except security) from there on it was just following the signs to check-in.
Our overall assessment was that we had a wonderful trip despite all the stresses. Being on your own, as opposed to being a member of a tour group, is both more stressful and more rewarding. It is a more intense experience.
For those of you considering it, our advice is do your homework. Get one or more guidebooks, we like Rick Steves. Learn as much of the local language as you can. Even though one could get by without a smidgeon of German, some knowledge is helpful and comforting, and adds significantly to the experience. Take advantage of the internet. We made all our hotel reservations from the U.S. by email. And last but not least, keep your cool on the road. Both of you are undergoing the stress; don't make yourself part of the problem.