Rhine River Towns A-M

My friend and I went to Mainz to take a Rhine River cruise. Unfortunately on September 10, we had missed the boat by 10 minutes and decided to cut our losses and make a day of it visiting the sights of Mainz. My friend and I went to see the Mainz Cathedral. It is a Romanesque Cathedral built during medieval times and is the main attraction of Mainz. The interior is large and cold and has many statues of saints and priests who preached in the Cathedral. The exterior is dirty and grimy from industrial dust and grime that spews on Mainz from the factories in the area.

It was raining that day in Mainz, so my friend and I went walking with umbrellas around Mainz's main square, where there are many shops to see and shop in.

There is not much to see once you leave Mainz's center, but you could go to Rudesheim and other cities nearby. Mainz is a good day trip from Frankfurt and easily reachable by train, bus, or car.

When one arrives at Bacharach via train or boat, you are greeted by the hilltop castle of Burg Stahleck, which was built in the 12th Century and is now a youth hostel. There is a big old wine barrel as you enter the old town that defines Bacharach as an old wine town. Near Burg Stahleck lies the ruins of the Wernerkapelle, which was destroyed by French troops who occupied the Rhine River Valley in 1689.

After entering Bacharach's main square, you are greeted by a maypole in the square's center and the two-toned rust and white Peterskirche, which dates from Romanesque times.

After getting out of the square, you must tour the Oberstrasse, Bacharach's main street. This street is home to several of the medieval homes and buildings that are still in use today as hotels, restaurants, or private residences. The oldest house on the Oberstrasse is the Altes Haus, a white with green timbered home that dates from 1356 and went under successful rennovations in 1978. The exposed timbers and colorfully painted homes had me enraptured the whole time.

After touring the Oberstrasse, Evelyn and I went souvenir shopping in some of the little shops along the way. One of the shop's owners was a nice woman who spoke English and had a son who lived in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, which is about 8 hours north of my current home in Meridian, and I spent a few minutes chatting with her about my time at the University of Idaho, which was only a couple of hours from Coeur d'Alene, and I visited the town a few times while attending school in Moscow.

After shopping, we were hungry and found a nice little restaurant to have lunch before catching the train back to Mainz and drive back to her home near Alzey. The restaurant was not that busy, and we were able to get food fast. I had been getting tired of sausages and other heavy German fare (Evelyn's father was a sausage maker) and was craving salad. So, we both ordered the Saladteller, which is a big salad full of veggies, eggs, and a creamy dressing.

Bellies full, we caught the train from Bacharach to Mainz, where Evelyn's car was parked at the train station.

Bacharach is worth a good day trip from several German cities, or you can spend the day there. It is easily accessible by car, train, car, or boat which is the best way to see the Rhine River Valley's glory.

My friend had her radio tuned to the US Armed Forces radio since the Rhein am Main Air Force base is near Mainz. The news was on and we had come in on the tail end of the broadcaster saying something about a plane crashing into the Pentagon. I said "what?" and turned up the volume. Then the news said that 2 planes had crashed into the World Trade Center in New York.

By then, I realized that the USA had been attacked by terrorists. When we got to my friends house, she let me watch CNN on German TV. There is a CNN Europe, and I got more information about the attacks. By this time, I was scared that I would not be able to go home on October 1, and I started to cry. I was also worried that my brother-in-law Todd's Navy unit would be sent out to the Persian Gulf or to Afghanistan.

My Mom called me that night to make sure I was OK and to tell me that Todd was not going out for a while because he was still in Basic Training. She was really worried about me but kept her strength up for my sake. I felt better after hearing from her and that they were OK. My sister was saying days before September 11 that there was nothing exciting in the news anymore. Well September 11 changed that!

I cancelled my trip to Rothenburg because I was afraid of travelling alone on the train. I stayed an extra night in Spiesheim with my friend there and then went on to Neuburg, where another friend lived. Nicole was very happy to have me for an extra night, and she and her family made me very comfortable and were very understanding.

I hope I will not be away home if anything like September 11 happens again, but I am grateful for having such good friends in Germany who let me stay with them and consoled me in my time of need and our nation's time of grief.

Evelyn and I tried to take the cruise on Monday, September 10, but by the time we got to the docks, the boats had left for the day, and due to Evelyn needing to be home by 3 to meet her children coming home from school, we had to postpone the trip until the next day.

So, Evelyn and I spent most of the morning and early afternoon touring Mainz and the Dom, the medieval church that dominates Mainz's skyline and Domplatz.

The next morning, Tuesday, September 11, 2001, Evelyn and I made sure we got up early and made our way back to Mainz after her four kids were off to school. Mainz's Rhine River docks are located near some ancient Roman gates that are worth a short look before getting on your boat to tour the Rhine.

It will cost one about $15 USD to cruise the Rhine River one-way. In 2001, it cost us about $10 USD. After a short wait, we were allowed to board our boat, and Evelyn and I took window seats inside the cabin.

When I went to the Rhine River Valley from The Netherlands after visiting my friend Monique there, I came by train and got to see the Rhine River via Koln (Cologne). From the train, I was lucky to see the famous Lorelei, the 450 foot high stone that was home to sirens who lured many soldiers and their ships to doom on the rocks and treacherous waves. Lorelei was made famous by Heinrich Heine's Song of Lorelei. Heine's story is about a count who sends soldiers to capture the siren who was responsible for his son's death when he tried to seduce her. When the soldiers cornered Lorelei in a cave, she yelled for her father who helped Lorelei escape the soldiers by sending waves to cast her away. After she was swept away by the waves, Lorelei was never seen again, and a legend was born.

Our Rhine River Cruise led us from Mainz along some of the most beautiful scenery along the Rhine River and one can see grapevines and wineries galore along the way.

Like many German cities and towns, Alzey has a castle in the Eastern part of the old town that dates from the 11th Century and went under a huge renovation in 1902. It, like other castles in small villages, is an important administrative building and houses several local political offices and is not open to the public.

After touring the Altmarkt or Old Town, you can walk to the Fischmarkt (Fish Market) which houses the Renaissance Town Hall with Carillon (1586) before heading north to the Rossmarkt which has the most awesome fountain with a Trojan like horse statue drinking out of it.

For a reality check, go onto one of the side roads where a memorial to the Jewish population of Alzey resides. Located on the former site of Alzey's synagogue, the memorial is a huge plaque that has the names of the hundreds of Jewish residents who perished in the Nazi concentration camps. Like the big cities, Alzey wasn't immune from the horrors of the Holocaust and about 100 Jewish residents fled Alzey and were able to emigrate to the USA or other European countries after Hitler's rise to power in January 1933. On November 9-10, Alzey's only synagogue was destroyed by Nazi thugs during Kristallnacht and was never rebuilt. It is a startling reminder to one that even small villages were not immune to the horrors of Fascism.

I didn't have a chance to visit it, but in the Amtshaus, there is the Municipal Museum which has an extensive history about Alzey and its people.

Alzey has several hotels in town, and is a good jumping off point for those who want to visit Mainz and other cities in the Rhine River Valley. It is worth a short period of time if you are visiting the Rhine River Valley.