Rudesheim Adventure!

While the weather is good, we decided to spend our Saturdays exploring Germany!!!  Our first adventure took us one hour away from Frankfurt to the village of Rudesheim on the Rhine (or Rhein) River.  This street, Drosselgasse, is the most famous in the Middle Rhine area.  You can see how narrow it is and it is filled with shops and cafes.

We then bought a ticket for 14 euros for our adventure that began with 

a cable car ride over some beautiful grape vineyards to a monument.

There are 1000's of acres of vineyards all along the hillside.

This is the top of the monument...most of it  was covered in plastic!

This commemorates the German  Empire being reestablished after a victory over France.  

Then there was a 30 minute hike through the woods.

We then took a ski lift down to a quaint town called Assmannshousen.

This is such a quaint German town...and we would have loved to explore it but the 

ferry was due to take us across the river to our FIRST CASTLE!!!

 We were sooooo  excited to explore Burg Rheinstein!!!

It was built in 900 as a customs house and was later a fortress.  

Prince Friedrich Wilhelm of Prussia bought it in 1825 and  rebuilt it.

We has a blast exploring the castle!!!

My favorite rooms were the Knights' Hall  and the Princesses Bedroom:

The castle had it's own tiny chapel.

And what castle would be complete without a drawbridge.

It was time to return to Rudesheim on the ferry.

It was a 45 minute journey back with gorgeous views of the

vineyards on the mountainside and a great view of these

 ruins of Burg Ehrenfels.

It was the ending of an amazing day exploring Germany!!!