Still staying within the confines of the Covid lock down, we have managed a few day trips for a change of scenery.
We are lucky enough to live within driving distance of the Rhine river here in Germany and a lot of the touristy attractions have begun to open up. One of which caught our eye is the Rhine River Ring Ticket. An afternoon tour that runs through three towns located on the coast of the Rhine river; Bingen; Assmannshausen and Rudesheim.
Joined by some friends of ours, we started our day tour in the town of Bingen with a short walk on the bank of the river to the boat dock. Medium sized cruise boats make continuous loops between the three towns that I listed and all you have to do is catch one of them at your port.
We took our first cruise boat from Bingen to Assmannshausen, a short 20 to 30 minute ride at an interior deck table, enjoying the views from the river. The upper, open air deck was full due to only half the seating being open in order to maintain social distancing standards.
Hopping off the boat, we explored the small town of Assmannshausen and wandered the old country cobbled streets and took photos of the timber built houses lining our way. Stopping at an outdoor cafe, we enjoyed a quick, relaxing, delicious lunch before following signs to the next leg of our tour.
In order to climb to the top of the hills lining the riverbanks we boarded a sesselbahn, a ski-lift as we would call it. At the top of the hill we followed a nature path with incredible views to the Niederwalddenkmal, an enormous monument constructed to commemorate the founding of the German Empire in 1871. The kids enjoyed the view, posed for pictures and climbed on the foundation a little bit. Continuing down the trail we stopped at another conveniently placed cafe with a view for some refreshments and ice cream.
At the end of the nature trail was a kabinen-seilbahn, an enclosed gondola, that we rode down the hill into the town of Rudesheim. The lift leads us right into the Altstadt, or old city section of Rudesheim where we are surrounded by some more timber built and “Harry Potter-esqe” cobbled streets. Here we find some more sweet snacks as we wander along winding our way through the streets towards the port.
At the port we find our boat waiting and this time we are able to find seats on the top deck. There we are served some drinks as we soak in the beautiful afternoon, the castles along the riverbank and rest our legs. The boat pulls into port right back where we started.
As we walk a little further down the coast in Bingen we arrive at a biergarten, and decide to have an early dinner before heading back home.
All in all, a relaxing day out and about and a well needed change of scenery with good friends.
Hygge-lism 