This morning we cruise through the most famous stretch of the Rhine River, no other river in the world has a greater concentration of castles and castle ruins than in the River Gorge, between Koblenz and Rudesheim. Today is a highlight of our trip. Steep slopes and many covered with vineyards and dotted with castles, are accompanied by picturesque villages. We pass the famous Loreley Rock, the narrowest and deepest point of the Rhine River.    Castles were built to work in conjunction with the toll collection stations, the greatest source of income for the nobles and archbishops for hundreds of years, some were destroyed in the 13th century, and some during the 30 years' war. Some were destroyed by Louis XIV’s troops between 1689 and 1693 and some by Napeoleon’s troops in the late 1790’s. They were restored by the Prussians, romanticized about by the English poets ………..and now they are admired by us!!

We missed a cup of famous Rudesheimer Coffee, as it was a little chilly for us on the top open deck but we made sure we saw all the castles from the lounge balcony or our room balconies.

Late afternoon, we arrive in Rudesheim, where a mini train is waiting for us - a short guided ride through the town to the Siegfried Music Cabinet Museum is where we stop.    We really enjoyed the music museum, the history of how music was able to be listened to before the radio came about.   I hope you can play a little of the video’s to take in the way music was captured and played, it’s quite amazing when you think about how the machines work and how they create such beautiful, sometimes often playful music.   Our Grandfather would have loved to have been with us, although I am sure his presence was with us all, he so loved and appreciated music.

We have free time to walk back to the ship down narrow cobblestone streets of the popular winemaking town, where we see beautifully decorated restaurants and shop windows.