Bacharach

Germany

WELCOME TO GERMANY

Our group crossed into Germany with no passport stamps and no fuss. We made it to Bacharach, a half-timbered village on the Rhine River where I learned I can’t drink too much water on the bus. Our tour group stayed at the historic Hotel Kranenturm with its castle-like ambience. The hotel was part of the medieval town wall, but it was 15 feet from the train tracks.

The Medieval Wall

Our local guide, Tomas, took us on a tour of the town. Here we are learning about the former wall.

Altes Haus

This is the oldest building in town (1368). The framing and windows are a little wonky.

Heading up

We walked up and around the vineyard, enjoying the panoramic view of the village and the Rhine River.

The Castle on high

Overlooking the village is Berg (Castle) Stahleck, which is now a hostel.

this fairytale town, swarming with stories and legends

Victor Hugo spent some time in the village and wrote about his journeys in his book Le Rhin. Back to our journey… we spent the afternoon in St. Goar and returned to Bacharach with the rest of the day to ourselves. I asked Dad if he was ready to storm another castle by hiking up to Burg Stahleck. I received a firm “no”. Dad was interested in seeing the church, so we checked it out instead. We stopped by a store for trinkets and treasures. Supper was calling so we went to the place Stephanie and Tomas recommended. It looked as if the entire tour group was already there. We enjoyed several dunkels before supper, but the meal was well worth the wait.