A Beautiful boat trip from Ruedesheim to Koblenz on the Majestic River Rhine
It was a beautiful weekend in late summer of 1953. My Hal and I had train tickets for the short train ride to Ruedesheim with a tasty breakfast on the train, while enjoying the most beautiful scenery. Relaxing and sipping excellent coffee with a piece of fragrant Kaiser Kuchen, the beautiful aroma of candied orange peel and plump raisins in the cake, leaning back into the soft cushions in a first class train car. We had a little time, a lay-over of an hour in Ruedesheim, to stretch our legs and explore this lovely town in the midst of wine country with slopes on both sides of the river Rhine right at harvest time. Grape harvest and in every restaurant or Cafe wine tasting . They produce a very fine Riesling wine, which they are very proud of.
After a nice lunch in a beautiful courtyard of a restaurant we made our way to the docks to join the people going on a vessel that will take us all the way to Koblenz. On the way we will be treated to awesome scenery and also through an historic area, with narrowing of the river and swift current memorialized in folklore or sagas of Niebelungen times of Richard Wagner’s tales. “The Lorelei” is a saga about a beautiful haunting vixen, sitting on a huge rock (slate) calling out to passing ships to her lover. The saga tells of many ships running aground or into trouble due to the sounds of her voice being haunting, fascinating and alluring.
When Clemens von Brentano wrote his ballad of the Lorelei in 1801, little did he know that it would become the basis of a popular myth. His Lorelei was a sorceress of outstanding beauty, and any man who looked into her eyes irreversibly fell in love with her.
It was for my Hal a relaxing journey on the ship, no other soldiers around and he could take off his jacket and tie and sit in shirt sleeves enjoying a glass of Riesling and this awesome scenery. Both sides of the river, as far up you could see vineyards.
We arrived in Koblenz, a beautiful city for some more sight seeing and maybe another glass of Riesling. It is an old city, but attractive city. It was the seat of the new German Government right after the end of WWII, until it moved to the permanent location in Berlin in the 1980s.
We decided to try a winery with restaurant and found a very attractive place. It looked like a Chateau with beautiful stained glass windows and inside the entry a gentleman, greeting the guests.
Looking around, it was a beautiful and very busy place. Waiters with white aprons, being very busy serving the guests. We were seated by a round table with white starched table linens, different size candles giving a nice glow to the table settings, and very quiet a very friendly gentleman would stop by ones chair and hand you a glass of champagne. Let the evening festivities begin. Suddenly, with the sound of clapping, one would come out of this tranquil moment to find that there will be music. Two gentlemen, dressed in tuxedo taking their places. One by the grand piano and the other, holding a violin. The music was enchanting and pleasing.
We enjoyed our dinner with candle light and music very much. Hal had ordered venison with a beautiful dark Burgundy sauce and little round and crispy potato pancakes on the side and white asparagus. I tried the veal tenderloin, well done and very tender with three different kinds of mushroom in a wonderful sauce. My Hal ordered a most awesome, well aged Burgundy. We talked of our trip, so far today and compared it with what we had expected. Could not have been more enjoyable, we both agreed.
We stayed a while after we finished our dinner and shared a glass of our exceptional great wine with our waiter and listened to the soothing music and then it was time to go and catch our train home to Frankfurt. For my Hal the barracks and for me another train ride to Darmstadt to join my sister.
This was a memorable day in Hal’s and my life and we were saddened it came to an end.