Lake Lucerne - Rhineland Germany Up early and we continue to travel through Switzerlands' little farms, villages and chalets before crossing into Germany where we travelled to the Rhine River. Todays highlight was a Rhine River cruise past the legendary Lorelei Rock, hilltop castles, terraced vineyards and half timbered villages. The Lorelei is a rock on the eastern bank of the Rhine near St. Goarshausen, Germany, which soars some 120 metres above the waterline. It marks the narrowest part of the river between Switzerland and the North Sea, and is the most famous feature of the Rhine Gorge, a 65 km section of the river between Koblenz and Bingen that was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in June 2002. A very strong current and rocks below the waterline have caused many boat accidents there.
Lorelei is also the name of a feminine water spirit, similar to mermaids or Rhine maidens, associated with this rock in popular folklore and in works of music, art and literature. We had an overnight stay in Cologne.