Rudesheim and the Rhine Gorge

On October the eighth we cruised through the Rhine Gorge.

We stopped to tour the beautiful town of Rudesheim which is in wine country...

and also a Unesco World Heritage site.

The old town centre is just a short walk from the river.

We toured Siegried's Mechanical Music Museum...

.

...housed in this old half-timber building which has stood the test of time.

The painting on the ceiling is from 1559.

With more than 400 self-playing musical instruments on display, we quite enjoyed our tour.

One of the many lovely restaurants...

serving local wine and playing German music.

We had lunch on our ship and then sailed on down the Rhein.

I would have to say this was my favorite part of the river cruise!

We went on the upper deck where we had the best view...

and listened to Patricia's commentary along the way.

This section of the Rhein River has the highest concentration of castles anywhere in the world.

I'll share a few.

Ehrenfels Castle...near Rudesheim. 1200 AD.

Mouse Tower...a stone tower on an island in the Rhein.

 Rheinstein Castle from the 13th century.

It served as a stronghold for counts of the Middle Ages...

...and is near the town of Trechtingshausen.

St. Clements Chapel...on the river right beneath the sprawling Reichenstein Castle.

Reichenstein Castle...one of the prettiest along the river.

We passed through Rhein Taunus Nature Park...

with trails and picnic areas in the steep hills next to the river.

Sooneck Castle...from 1271.

Belonging to kings, princes and lords through the years...and now owned by the state. 

Rhine Gorge landscape...

...all part of the nature park.

The Schonburg castle is now a hotel, restaurant and museum.

Liebfrauenkirche in Oberwesel is from the 14th Century...also known as 'the red church'.

Ox Tower at Oberwesel....part of the original city wall.

Reinfels Castle above Sankt Goar.

Next stop...Cologne.