The romantic Rhine in reverse

This morning we set off before 7 a.m. for our carefully planned day on the Rhine. After our original train was cancelled, we plotted a train to Mainz, a bus to Bingen and a last train to Sankt Goar that would allow us to cruise slowly back to Mainz between 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

We were off to a good start, catching our train on time. But when the time came to catch our bus we misread the signs and were standing at the wrong terminal point. We realized it... right as the bus drove off. After a quick search that revealed there was no way to get to Sankt Goar in time, we decided to cruise in the opposite direction. We grabbed another bus for a short ride to the dock, bought our tickets and settled in to wait an hour to board.

The cruise was lovely, sitting in the top deck in the sunshine and a soft breeze. We passed barges, overnight cruise boats and other small watercraft all making use of the watery highway that has been used to transport people and goods for centuries. Charming towns and castles dotted the shoreline. At Bacharach, we disembarked to enjoy our picnic lunch and explore Bacharach for a few hours until the next boat - and found almost everything closed. After a bit if a walk we decided to hop the train for the short ride to Sankt Goar - catching a quick glimpse of the Lorely cliffs between two railway tunnels. We wandered the main street of Sankt Goar, checking our souvenir shops and trying on more hats. Then, discovering a direct train to Frankfurt was due to leave from Sankt Goarshausen on the other side of the river, we hopped the ferry in time to get tickets and hop on for the ride back. We got three of the last remaining seats on a train that soon became crammed with daytrippers heading home to the city.

Bedraggled and a little sunburnt, we stumbled back for a rest before dinner.









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