Tag Sechs - Rollen auf dem Fluss (Day Six - Rolling on the River)

We departed Heidelberg for Rudesheim after a slight delay. The majestic Rhine River was our destination. We found a cruise departing within 45 minutes from nearby Bingen. While we waited Josh walked across the street into town and found the most excellent pastries and collasal juice boxes for the boys. Later John & Lisa ventured over to the same bakery, and my brother emerged with one of the most delightful treats of the trip. It was some sort of flaky crust topped with a cream layer and topped with a strawberry gelatin-like top. It was sampled and enjoyed by all.

Because of a recent boat accident that was apparently blocking a portion of the river we were only able to cruise about half as far as we had originall planned. We still enjoyed some pretty spectacular views along the Rhine River valley, which is filled with castle ruins, beautiful villages, and many, many vineyards.

We deboarded for a few hours in Bacharach and enjoyed another streetside cafe style lunch. We spent some time walking around and more time river watching by the dock. A charming village, but not much in the way of shops, and certainly not as much people watching as our previous day. While we waited for our ride, Jack asked to do some photography of his own. Here is some of his work.

We boarded our return vessel to find a slide on the top deck. The boys were in heaven sliding away as we cruised back upstream. We had worried about some forecasted showers when we planned our day, and they finally caught up with us on that return cruise. We dashed down to the enclosed deck for the last hour or so of the ride.

After we returned, we took the ferry across the river to Rudesheim for shopping and dinner. A much more active area, most of our group split up to enjoy window shopping, wine tasting and tour the cobblestone streets. We met back up for dinner. We chose a restaurant with an enclosed outdoor area not considering the threat of more showers. About halfway through dinner, we began to feel sprinkles. Before we realized it, a retractable roof had closed above us...if only it could have followed us as we left the restaurant.

Since we had promised the boys a sweet treat in exchange for good dinner and pleasant dinner behavior, we stopped at an ice cream bar. I again chose the erdbeer eis (strawberry gelatto). The boys both had these adorable mouse like ice cream treats. Josh had a shake. It was a perfect ending to a beautiful day on the river.