Rudesheim, Germany

After a beautiful trip down the Rhine from Mannheim we arrived in Rudesheim in the early afternoon. That gave us a chance to relax a bit, have dinner and than take a short evening walk into town to enjoy some music and have a toddy.

We were now in the famous Rhine Valley wine country. Pulling into Rudesheim we could see the vineyards and Bromserberg (Niederburg) Castle that was the property of the Archbishops of Mainz from the early 10th century until the 19th century. 

More vineyards and the Neiderwald Monument towering over the valley.

It was just a short walk from the dock into the town that was small enough it could be easily navigated on foot.

After dinner we ventured into town to listen to some music and have a toddy. We met two ladies, one was born in Germany and was there to visit family and was later joined by her niece. Both were there for an extended vacation from the States. They ordered this special Rudesheimer Coffee that was made with Asbach, a liquor that is aged for eight to 21 years. The liquor was lit on fire then extinguished with roasted coffee and topped with fresh whipped cream and grated chocolate. Since it was late, we did not want coffee and then the next day we dallied too long and missed the chance to try it. Just another reason to return some day. 

Jim had one of those coffees and it caused him to want to dance. Nanc obliged and, as you can see, they had a fun, fun time.

The 66 foot tall Eagle Tower was built in the 15th century as part of the town's fortifications. When it was built it was right on the river. Now the railroad tracks and a park are between the tower and the Rhine.  

There were several of these tall thin people lurking in the park as we walked into town the next morning to check out more of Rudesheim.

A daylight look at Drosselgasse, the historic narrow lane with many shops and cafes. It is only 144 meters long and two meters wide but it was rockin with music when we walked it the night before. 

Music, music, music is the order of the day along the Drosselgasse.

One of several beer halls along the Drosselgasse. This was where we stopped the night before to listen to music.

There was much more to do here then we had time for, so we opted to take a ride on the gondola and to visit the music museum. How did they know to give us gondola 69 as we are celebrating our marriage 50 years ago in 1969.

The gondola was a ride over the famous hillside vineyards. In the distance is the Benedictine Abbey of Hildegard, a community of nuns. Our original plan was to walk to the abbey and then back down into town, but it was a bit too far for the time we had.

The ride was worth it with a beautiful view of the Rhine and the vineyards. We learned later that many vineyards are not being maintained because they have such a hard time getting people to harvest the grapes on the steep slopes. On our way back home this article about the wines here was in the Washington Post.

At the top of the gondola is the Niederwald Monument that was built in 1883 to celebrate the reestablishment of the German Empire following the 1870/71 Franco-Prussian War. The statue is Germania, adorned with the imperial crown and sword. A dark side of the monument, the Nazi Party held a rally here in 1933 as Hitler rose to power.

A panoramic view of the Rhine Valley from the monument.

On the way back down we sailed over people picking the grapes. The picture does not really show how steep the hills are.

Another look at the castle, town and river. The Romanesque Boosenburg (Obeerburg) Castle Tower is the tallest building in Rudesheim. 

The streets of Rudesheim and half timbered buildings make for a beautiful scene.

There are a few museums to choose from here. We opted for Siegfrieds Mechanisches Musikkabinett (music museum) and were not disappointed. The museum, in this beautiful old home, has a collection of over 350 automated musical instruments.

This Banjo-Orchestra made by D.C. Ramey Piano Company of Chicago used a roll of sheet music to play tunes. It was like an LP as it played 10 tunes on one sheet, including old time favorites Ain't She Sweet, The Maple Leaf Rag and others.

This room had big instruments that had been used on amusement rides and at fairgrounds. One of the neater instruments was a organ grinder's organ. Here is the link to Nanc playing it. Check it out, she even got a tip.

These old carousal instruments used cardboard sheet music that was mass produced to play the songs.

A piano with a half dozen violins played music in this machine and it sounded amazing.

These two music machines played tunes using the large metal disks you can see inside them. The disks were changeable so different songs could be played. They also played music using old Edison Victrola cylinders. 

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The museum collection included not just large instruments, it also made small music boxes. Here is a link to a very short video of a song bird music box. Look closely and you can see its wings moving. You could also purchase one of them for about 3,000 euros.

We have been to other music museums but this is something we have never seen, the complete shop of a man who made the music wheels that were used to poke the holes in the sheets of paper and cardboard.

A finished wheel. Once it was made it could be used over and over to mass produce the sheets. The music museum is a worthwhile stop if you are in Rudesheim.

Beautiful flowers, buildings and weather. 

Capt. Rick even found a boat here, although it was in dry dock.

The main street along the Rhine. There was a railroad track running between this street and the river. There was a lot of train traffic with two or three every hour.  Rudesheim was a very neat stop. Most points of interest were within easy walking distance from the boat and there was more to do than we could fit in during our stay.