Our days have been laid back and carefree. We casually wake up as the river slowly comes back to life. There are very few tourists at this point in the year and with a small population of residents, it has been quiet. While watching the sun rise over the hills across the river this morning, we recreated the German breakfasts that we have enjoyed so much in the past - hard boiled eggs, wholegrain rolls, soft and hard cheeses, tomatoes, yogurt, muesli, tea, and jams. And then back to bed for a while longer.
The train station is a short walk away. Yesterday we took the train up to the ancient Roman city of Boppard. Ok, everything on the Rhine is quite old, but Boppard sets a precedent as one of the Roman fortresses in the third and fourth centuries. The city center still boasts part of the original wall. We had visited here before but somehow had missed the ruins. The highlight was stepping into the 13th century St. Severus church, a Gothic-style building built over the former Roman baths and remarkably maintained. We enjoyed an organ impromptu concert for over an hour as we walked around to look at the ceiling murals, early Christian artifacts, and the baptistry founded in the 6th century.
Strolling through town, we picked up a pint of raspberries and some rolls to eat as we meandered through the storybook streets. Although it had rained earlier, the weather was warm and comfortable. We admired the countless flower boxes, manicured gardens, quaint windows, slate roofs, and carved wooden doors. We appreciate the German sense of design and attention to detail in just about everything.
Before we boarded the train back to St. Goar, we stopped off at the REWE grocery store since we have facilities to prepare food for ourselves. Our cart contained sliced turkey, tomatoes, apples, local white asparagus, a soft and hard cheese (we have not had any in over a year, so a real treat), a few different kinds of rolls, weissbier, a bottle of local white wine, apple juice, eggs, red leaf lettuce, smoked salmon, yogurt, blackberry jam, potato pancakes, and applesauce. Simplicity at its finest. And like today's breakfast described above, we enjoyed a wonderful late lunch yesterday when we returned to the apartment.
With the advent of the summer solstice, the sun only sets around 10 pm. So after a short nap, we set out around 6 for a hike up to the castle, and discovered several more walking trails in the hills above the town. We drank beer down by the waterfront before coming back to the apartment and sleeping soundly.
This morning was brilliantly warm and sunny and we decided to take the boat down to Bacharach. This town also has a rich Roman and Celtic history with an incredibly intact wall around most of the city center. We walked on half of it, as well as climbing to the the Castle Stahleck. Cloudy weather made perfect conditions for hiking through vineyards and up and down hills. We were rewarded with a couple of glasses of wine at one of the many tasting rooms along with a snack.
The political and economic power of Bacharach back in the day was staggering. Today it still maintains a high reputation and standard as the wine capitol of the Rhine region, and we were not disappointed. One of the pleasant surprises today was trying the not-too-sweet Riesling gelato.
We were caught in a torrential downpour and the boat ride back was rather anticlimactic, but it's still so relaxing to travel by boat and witness such a stunning landscape. By early evening we were back out walking through the town before a light dinner. Our days are long and full, but we are not hurried at all. It's been the perfect buffer between Kuwait and home.
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