October 15, 2022 A word of explanation. These posts are not meant to be a travelogue that shows the things to see or do while where we are traveling. It is the bits and pieces I find fascinating for one reason or another that occurred during the day. For example, we have been to St. Goar a number of times in the past and the post reflects that.

A lovely day in Bacharach.

St Goarhausen across the Rhine from St. Goar.

The castle above St. Goarhausen.

Walking down the street this caught our eye.

A little different than the 1967 Mustang we drove off from our wedding in. I wonder if Linda, the farm girl I married, would preferred to have driven of in a tractor. A little birdy is telling me absolutely positively no way.

The church named after the founder of the town.

The parish priest, hermit who founded the town in the 6th century and later became a saint.

Steps in making a wood carving.

The clock store now also has the beer steins that were formerly in a separate store, plus a lot of tacky tourist items. St Goar is not what it used to be.

Another town flooded by the Rhine.

The sun made for a nice photo.

The ferry that runs between the two towns opposite each other.

They bring a smile to the faces of passersby, us included.

This church in St. Goar is very similar to the one in Bacharach.

Very similar indeed.

This didn’t look good.

First it was going to be late by 10 minutes, then 35 minutes, then an hour.

With the delay we walked the block block to the waterfront.

The ticket machine for the local trains.

Touch the British flag and it is in English.

Many different ways to pay. We find it easiest to just tap our credit card to white pad just below the keypad.

When we returned to the station the train had been cancelled, but another was scheduled to arrive shortly. Of course that train was delayed several time also.

Photo posted just to provide evidence we eventually arrived back in Bacharach before night came.

the nice weather brought out the people in Bacharach.

Halloween time had arrived on the house across from and below our balcony.

All those flowers are hard to walk by with occasionally taking a photo.

Went with a beer with dinner tonight. It was not what I like, being way to sharp. The food on the other hand was awesome just like always. And of course, Linda had her Riesling. I’ve been told I am going to have to make more Riesling when we get home., a task I will definitely enjoy both making it and later drinking it my thoughtful wife.

October 14 2022 The weather has become cold and rainy, so we decided to stay in Bacharach today and go out between the periods of rain.

The best breakfasts are German breakfasts, said I.

The best breakfasts are German Breakfasts, said she.

Lovely scenery, not so for the weather.

It is like every little place that can be planted is.

Grapes from a small hole in the sidewalk.

Linda’s idea of the perfect doorknob.

Planters everywhere and nary a plastic flower to found.

The beauty of fall.

A beauty among the fallen leaves. And what a background, it was what makes the Middle Rhine Valley so attractive.

The British call it mudlarking, Linda said she was Rhinelarking..

With water level of the Rhine being low, bit and pieces of history can be found for sharp eyed and agile. And for anyone who has read some of my other blogs over the years, this is absolutely not one of those ‘butt shots” that have gotten me into so much trouble in the past with she who is bent over.

She really liked this one.

Sorry dear, there is no way that is going home with us,

More typical of what she was finding, though this pottery shard was deemed to large and angular to take home. Small well worn pieces with decoration were what she was looking for.

We took the path above the rive going back to Bacharach.

A small creek flowing through the old city wall.

Relaxing on the balcony after our walk with an excellent local Riesling.

In past years we have done the castle touring thing, now we just take photos of the outside from our balcony.

The blog isn’t always that easy to write in more ways than one.

I think every town has a similar church. This one is just up the street from our hotel.

I know enough German that the words krankheit and geschlossen stood out. No wine tasting here today due to being closed because of sickness. So much for a plan to do that today while in town.

Jost is a common surname in Bacarach. This was small restaurant that severed the wines they made. Linda had a riesling while I had this Grauer Burgunder which was excellent.

You can tell Linda liked her Riesling.

Flammkuchen that was as good as it gets, in other words, awesome.

It was a wine he had named after himself, “Niklas”. It is times like this that make travel what it is. What started out as a miserable rainy day ended up being very special.

October 13, 2022 Spent an afternoon in Remagen , famous for being the site of the Ludendorff Bridge.

Nothing better than a good German breakfast.

There were quite a few hotel boats on the Rhine.

Vineyards above Bacharach.

The old city wall near our hotel.

The Rhine flood waters have reached into the town many times over the years.

Called “Stolpersteine”, or in English, “stumbling stones” these brass blocks record what happened to person who lived here and was victim of the Nazi. These were a short distance from our hotel.

Some serious large heads of cabbage.

The walkway along the Rhine heading towards the site of the bridge.

The towers on the east bank.

The museum is the towers on west bank. We were here before about 10 years ago.

It was an important railroad bridge over the Rhine.

Aerial photo taken during WWII.

The museum is dedicate to peace. Not all allied bombs fell near the bridge as the scene above shows. A number of civilians in Remagen lost their lives. During the day which was when the planes would bomb the bridge, most of the women and children of the town would take shelter in nearby woods.

The rooms in the tower are small but the displays are very impactful.

The capture of the bridge by the Americans was a key to shortening the war which lasted only 2 more months after the bridge was captured on March 7, 1945.

Though some of the descriptions are only in German, many are also in English. Oftentimes the photos need no descriptions to understand what they show.

Ten days after being captured the bridge finally collapsed resulting in the death of 29 American soldiers. But by that time a major beach head had been established and several temporary bridges had been erected as Allied troops and armor poured across the Rhine.

Each room has a theme.

The view across the Rhine to the towers on the other bank.

Estimated number of dead during the war.

The only remain section of the approach to the tower.

How different is the scene on the Rhine these many decades later.

There also be dragons in Germany.

Coal barge. Contrast the size of ones on the Rhine with those on the Mississippi.

By the time we heading back to Bacharach someone was hungry.

And thirsty.

Bratwurst for both of us tonight.

That is not my dessert.

October 11, 2022 A day for something old and something new.

Linda does not wait until the last minute to pack, doing the first thing this morning. I on the other hand do things like man has since the beginning of time, at the last minute.

Sometimes it is quite a distance in a station from one underground line to another.

Yes, we are back on the London Bridge once again.

Just confirming for the nonbelievers that this really is the London Bridge.

Back to the Brough market to eat the best sausage rolls ever. I had just but ours an this was line behind me.

We bought the traditional rolls which are in the middle section. I have no clue how many hundreds of them they sell in a day, but there were pans of them going into the ovens as I stood here.

This is real honest to goodness street food, and street food is something we always enjoy eating during our travels.

Perfection.

If you like sausage and flaky pastry, this is a must try.

At the Brough Market just look for the Ginger pig on Stoney Street. Don’t visit London without stopping here.

Not far away is a Museum we have never visited.

And yes, it where “thrown into the clink”, meaning going to jail, comes from.

The original prison is long gone, but the museum as very interesting as it told not only what once was here, but also what happened inside what once here, and it really wasn’t very nice. In fact it was horrible. I’d say the lucky ones got sent off to Australia which wasn’t any picnic either.

Back then prison was truly punishment.

This small section of wall was all that was left of the original prison.

Strapped upright so you could not lay down, the belt went around your neck holding the points of this torture device in place against the bottom of your chin and your chest. Sleep was not an option until you told the authorities everything they wanted to know.

Bloody Marry was Mary I, the catholic Queen of England. She didn’t just want those protestants burned at the stake, she wanted them to really suffer before they died.

Nothing like putting a little fear into the general populace.

For some crimes public humiliation was enough.

The old chopping block.

Using Green Eggs to cook/smoke the pork at another pig place in the market.

The sign says it all.

Dessert time means buying some very special doughnuts.

The Shard looms over all.

Linda had to have that last ice cream cone before leaving.

Crossing London Bridge for the last time this trip to our favorite city, London.

For once the Piccadilly line wasn’t busy. No matinees at the theaters today.

What the tracks look like.

Slow time of the day and the trains are further apart than normal.

That is not good.

My last Doom Bar, but I will be back. And I am really not a beer drinker, preferring wine, but exceptions must be made for what is special.

It really is a photo our doughnuts. Inside is filled with at chocolate filling. Heck, there is more filling on the outside than is typically inside the doughnuts we get in the States. Or maybe it is just that we know places in London better than we do where we live in the States.