A Rhine Valley Day of Castles!

Early today we passed through Frankfurt with nary a mention. What caught our attention was the 6:30 am sounds of aircraft landing and departing...literally the first sounds like that in over 12 days! All the hustle and bustle of the big city was a mere point of the passing morning. Soon we arrived into a valley of castles and fortresses towering high above the river...that was the scene for many hours...castle after castle. The middle Rhine is a river valley with tall cliffs, a castle perched literally on every hilltop, with quaint villages lining the river banks. Loreli is but one example of the myths and legends that have passed from generation to generation. It is a very rocky, dangerous portion of the river, where it is said many a sailor lost his boat, paying too much attention to the beautiful Loreli. Prior to reaching today's destination, destination Koblenz, we passed by Bingen and Rudesheim, where steep vineyards that produce famous Rhine wines. Some 29 years ago, Marion and I experienced a wonderful tour of this area with our former Director of Education, Stan Berry. We cruised then as we are doing later tonight to Cologne. This is an amazing region, one known for its wealth of cultural influence and religious buildings. The Rhine as a road of cultural development is clear today as it was hundreds of years ago, the cargo boats plying this river even today is incredible. For this, the Middle Rhine Valley was designated a World Heritage Site in 2002.
Our mid afternoon tour was to visit Marksburg Castle, one which has maintained all of its original construction. It stands today as the best-preserved castle on the river. It has stood the est of over 800 years without being significantly blemished... The reason is its location. It stands high atop a steep, isolated hill on a bend in the river. The terrain around it would discourage anyone from attempting an attack. After our adventurous climb, the only thing that revived us was a cold beer, once safely back on the Bragi. This is a castle that one would have to see and experience to believe.
Our night stop is in the beautiful town of Koblenz, another Rhine town that dates back to the Romans, who established it as a military stronghold around 10BC. At he point at which the Rhine and Mozelle Rivers meet is a monstrous statue of Kaiser Wilhelm. Across from where we are docked stands a mighty fortress that towers over Koblenz,  called Festung Ehrenbreitstein. A visit to that location will have to be on anther visit to the region.
Docked here until 4:00 AM, our next port of call along the Rhine will be one of my favorite German cities...Cologne. That's tomorrow's blog!