Why the Rhine Valley Rocked

Over the course of August and September, I ended up in Germany for three different trips - to Berlin, to Munich, and to the Rhine Valley (I know, life is hard, but bear with me). Of the three, I most want to go back to Berlin - but I have to admit, contrary to my expectations, that of the three, the Rhine Valley made the best trip.

Specifically, I'm talking about the stretch of the Rhine between Cologne and Mainz, with the addition of Baden Baden at the southern end.  Perhaps it was just the change of pace from our typical city destinations, perhaps it was just the sheer variety of experiences to be had, but this is the trip I'd recommend for other first-time visitors to Germany.  Our own perfect Rhine Valley itinerary went something like this:

Step 1: Lunch at a beer hall in Cologne.  Excellent German food, excellent local Kolsch.  We also revisited Cologne's massive cathedral.

Step 2: Castles.  The hills of the Rhine Valley are covered with them, like the rocky ruins of the massive Rheinfels castle perched above St. Goar. Our favorite, though, was on the nearby Mosel River: Burg Eltz, a fairytale castle nestled in a green valley in excellent (still inhabitable) condition - although unfortunately covered in scaffolding, and therefore temporarily unphotogenic.  

Schloss Rheinfels

Step 3: Vertical diversity. Coming from the flatness of the Netherlands, the rolling ridges of the Rhine Valley are breathtaking (like a green version of the Columbia River Gorge).  Doesn't hurt that every ridge is topped with a castle, and every hollow is home to a miniature village of half-timbered houses.  Which brings us to...

Step 4: Half-timbered houses.  I didn't think places like this existed outside of Epcot Center. We stayed in Bacharach, a tiny town of narrow cobblestone streets, half-timbered houses tilting slightly with age, window boxes full of geraniums, and vineyards stretching up the hillsides.  Perhaps because the weather was not fantastic, the town was surprisingly empty - except for the national petanque tournament down along the riverfront. 

Step 5: River tours. The Rhine is famous for its river cruises, but we liked even better riding bikes between the towns. Both delighted my inner child: the thrill of being in a boat, or flying along a river-side bike path, with a constant stream of castles and towns and beautiful scenery.

Step 6: Sampling local Riesling. 

Step 7: A little UNESCO world heritage. The Rhine Valley itself is inscribed on the World Heritage list as a "cultural landscape," but we also stopped in Speyer further along the river to check out its inscribed cathedral.  Built in the 1000s, the Speyer Cathedral is impressively grand but spare, which I found soothing and peaceful.  It's also an interesting lesson in cathedral architecture (so this is what grandiose architecture looked like before the advent of flying buttresses and the like).

Step 8: Black forest ham and black forest cake.  Baden Baden is very civilized, with manicured gardens and clean little streets and oddly Mediterranean flora (due to the hot springs and a micro climate).  We had the most amazing picnic of black forest ham in Baden Baden's little rose garden, followed by a very elegant piece of black forest cake (schwarzwalder kirschtorte) on the terrace of the old-school Cafe Konig.

Step 9: The Baths.  Dude, I totally underestimated the baths at Baden Baden.  But then my mind was blown by three glorious hours at the Caracalla Baths, relaxing in thermal pools of differing temperatures, playing with waterfalls and jets, sitting in steam rooms heavy with aromatherapy, experimenting with naked saunas of varying intensity, and lounging under heat lamps (like a lizard on a desert rock).  Our only regret was not getting to try the Roman Baths, too.

Step 10: A taste of Munich.  Utterly relaxed and refreshed after the baths, we stumbled down the street to a Munich-style beer garden, where we had a perfect last meal of German food while sitting under chestnut trees and strings of lights.  Sometimes there's nothing more satisfying than a cold stein of beer and a basket of fresh pretzels.