Hotel Kranenturm Bacharach

... settled, we headed out for dinner. I had that magical travel experience where you discover a brand new culinary deight. Get this- neuer wine, or new wine. This stuff is aged for *1* short week, then served in pint glasses. It tastes like Mike's **********ade. Me likey.<br><br>This morning we set off northbound up the wine road, or Weinstrasse. Here is what you do- you drive to a teeny German wine village, park outside a vinter's ...

... part of the river is known for the Loreley Rock which is actually a very high cliff. This is where the sailors were supposedly distracted by the songs of a mermaid and crashed on the rocks. A little further downstream at river level there is a statue of the mermaid.<br>Tonight is the Captain&#8217;s cocktail party and dinner. The dinner was six courses with no choices. It was better than the other ...

... corner. Tea and coffee are freely available in the breakfast room in the morning as you wait to check in. There is free WiFi inside the hotel &#8211; (non encrypted totally open network)<br>For those who drive to the hotel there is free parking for upto 4 weeks <br>The hotel also offers free transfers to and from Frankfurt Hahn airport, and the local restaurants, (there are a Chinese, Italian, Mexican, Russian, and a very ...

... of course) and the Castle is on top of a huge hill (of course). Did I mention the cab was a brand new Mercedes?<br>At any rate, we got to our wonderful Castle and were hoping for no rain the next day so we could take a boat trip... no such luck. The rain has returned on our trip. Instead, we took the train up to Koblenz. The entire river is littered with castles. Most have them have been converted into hotels it seems. And the towns along the ...

... Mrs. Carpenter) was ill last night with diarrhoea and vomiting and our guide (Lode) was very helpful in taking her to the hospital and getting her fixed up. She joined us for the tour and it was great to see that she had all but recovered.<br><br>We had a pleasant morning walk through gardens down to the Rhine to catch our river cruise boat. I was surprised to see a war memorial dedicated to ...

... again, and there had been lots of vineyards in the hills along the river. So I got a glass of Riesling along with a hot dog &amp; potato salad. The wine was excellent, but the food not so much. The potato salad was actually bland. I couldn&#8217;t believe it.<br><br>When I finally got on the boat, which was a really large paddlewheel boat called the Goethe, I spent the next hour being amazed by castle after castle, sitting atop hills beside the river. They were ...

... rocks from the respective castles. <br><br>The river boat is the best place to enjoy these fireworks. The second best place is at a top rated restaurant with fine dining. Remember, though, that reservations have to be made very far in advance. The cheapest place, obviously, is along the river's shores. <br><br>It's a MUST SEE event, if you happen to be in Germany on any of these dates. <br><br>