The Middle Rhine Valley, Germany

Frankfurt was the start of our road trip on the Rhine River. While we wish we had time to drive the entire Rhine River Road, we only had two weeks with my Mom and Ken and a lot we wanted to see. We rented a car in Frankfurt and drove 2 hours to the small village of St. Goar. It was truly picturesque, complete with the castle on the hill, the beautiful German homes that line the water and the local pubs where we went for beer and bratwurst. We stayed at a Bed and Breakfast with a view of the Rhine. It was the perfect way to kick off the trip.

We didn’t let the rain on our first day stop us from visiting the Rheinfels Castle in St. Goar. The oldest part of the castle was built in 1245. It was the largest castle on the Rhine River historically five times the size of what stands today.  Inside the castle is a small museum which displays the history of the area and the castle through artifacts, pictures and models.

During our stay in St. Goar we took a few side trips to other villages and sites in the area. Just down the river is Loreley Rock which boast a statue of Loreley, a maiden of folklore. The local legend is of a beautiful young woman who threw herself into the waters of the Rhine because she was distraught over an unfaithful lover. She transformed into the siren who lured boatman to their deaths long the sharp turn and shallow part of the Rhine.

A thirty minute drive from St. Goar is another small village of Braubach. High on the hill overlooking the village along the Rhine is Marksburg Castle. The history of the castle dates back 1283. It was used as a fortress rather than a residence. It is the only castle along the Rhine that was never conquered. The inside of the castle can only be visited with a guide. It is a wonderful castle to visit as many of the rooms are on display with historical furnishing which offers a taste of what the castle would have been like hundreds of years ago.

The next day we continued our travels south along the Rhine and made a stop in the city of Mainz. It is much larger than many of the other towns and villages we visited along the way. Mainz is the capital of Rhineland-Palatinate. The view of downtown is dominated by St. Martin’s Cathedral. It is free to visit and worth a peek inside. The city center is great for a stroll to enjoy shopping and locals eats. We were lucky to arrive during a market in the main square.

Further down the Rhine, we made our next stop in the very important city of Worms. This city holds great importance in the The Reformation. Martin Luther posted 95 thesis on the door of the church in Whittenberg, Germany in 1517 which lists 95 objections he had with the practices of the Roman Catholic Church. Several years later, in 1521, he was brought before the Diet of Worms on charges of heresy. When he refused to recant his 95 thesis he was excommunicated for the church. This started The Reformation which led to many changes throughout Europe and was the beginning of all Protestant Christian denominations we know today. During our visit to Worms we visited many of the important Martin Luther sites.

The city of Worms has done a nice job providing information in several languages at the important Martin Luther sites. The purple signage is easy to spot throughout the downtown.

Trinity Lutheran Church was built 200 years after the trial of Martin Luther very near the spot where the trail took place. It was lost in the bombings of World War II. The church was rebuilt in the 1990s in a more modern way while maintaining some of it’s original elements.

There is a memorial to Martin Luther that was dedicated in 1868. It is the largest Reformation Memorial in the world. The memorial features Martin Luther in the center mounted higher than the other figures. The other people included in the memorial where famous Reformers that supported Martin Luther’s preaching.

After our amazing stop in Worms, we made the short drive to famous tourist city of Heidelberg. It is more touristy than others because of its close distance

Frankfurt, but there is a reason so many people come to walk around Old Town. The instant you walk into Old Town you know you are in Germany by the architecture, the shops sell pretzels and the dominating view of the Heidelberg Castle. There is so much to see, but we only had one day take in the sights.

The Church of the Holy Spirit was first mentioned in 1239. Over the course of history the church has been used by both Catholics and Protestants. It has played an important role throughout its time. It was once part of the Heidelberg University as well as the birthplace of the Heidelberg Catechism.

We entered the church at the right moment and were able to catch the last few minutes of an English service being held midday.

After enjoying the sights, smells and sounds of Old Town we headed for the Heidelberg Castle. We decided to skip the 20 minute walk up hill and took the funicular instead. The funicular makes three stops along the way. The first is the castle stop and the other two are look out points. At the second stop you must change funiculars to the 100+ year old original to get to the very top. We did that first to take in the amazing views of the city and the Neckar River.

We took the funicular back down to the castle stop so we could visit the rooms and museums within the Heidelberg Castle.  The remains of the castle buildings are in quite good condition and are very impressive. There is a Apothecary museum which is very interesting about what medicines were practiced in the castle. The castle also contains the world’s largest barrel of wine. It hold 22,000 liters of wine and stands over 3 meters high.

After visiting the sites in Heidelberg we returned to the place we parked our car. As we approached we instantly noticed… our car was gone! Sure enough after some investigating we found out that our car had been towed. Bummer!!! We were lucky that within 90 minutes we were able to take a taxi to the tow lot and retrieve our car but only after paying the 160 Euro ticket. Tip for the anyone renting a car in Germany – Don’t park on the street unless you can pay a meter and leave a ticket in the window.

We didn’t let the towing of our car ruin our fun. So, we ventured forward and ended our awesome day with a stay in a very small village outside Heidelberg. It was a truly authentic German experience. We spent the evening playing cards and drinking beer in a local pub. We walked across the street to stay at Roter Lowe, an amazing Bed and Breakfast .

Our road trip through central Europe will continue as we travel south to Strasbourg, France.