The rain that started yesterday continued through the night and by morning we were resigned to stay inside. We have missed the cleansing rain not found in Kuwait so it was not a bad thing. We hadn't made any real plans but had thought about taking the ferry across the river to climb the Lorelay Rock. We had a leisurely breakfast, did some reading and fortunately by 11:00 the downpour has trickled down to a drizzle. We walked into the center of the village, bought rolls for sandwiches, and then decided to take the train to the next town upriver - Oberwesel.
It seems as the longer we tour this area, the older things get. 1400 wasn't old enough, now we are seeing churches started in 1200. The Early Renaissance paintings and frescoes inside both churches were astoundingly well preserved. Oberwesel has the most complete Roman wall of anywhere on the Rhine and it remains an imposing figure to the landscape. It drizzled through most of the time we were there but we ducked into a few Gothic churches. In one of them, a couple was trying out the acoustics by chanting some sort of liturgy. Lovely really.
Oberwesel is the least tourist trafficked city we visited but seemed to have the most to offer. Charming Hansel and Gretel architecture, sprawling vineyards, cobblestone pathways, and ancient towers and walls filled the space and our time.
With the weather relatively clear, we went for a power walk in the late afternoon, picked up a mushroom and anchovy pizza, finished off our beer, and packed up our bags.
This trip has reaffirmed our decision of late to travel more slowly and stay in one place instead of trying to run stamps in a passport or squeeze nights into multiple cities. Apparently, we don't look like tourists as people are speaking German to us, which is remedial at best.
Looking forward to spending the night in Dalton tomorrow!
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