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After leaving Switzerland Bob and Tania
decided to visit Germany again and take the Rhine River
cruise from Mainz to Cologne. As a part of their
Eurail Pass they could ride on the river boat for no extra
charge. It was a beautiful day to see all the
villages, boats, and castles.
- The Rhine (Rhein) River is a major route for
shipping and transportation. As they traveled along
the boat would stop at a village now and then and the amount
of people on board increased dramatically!
  
- All Germany is rich in castles
but the romantic Rhine Valley - the heartland of the old
Holy Roman Empire - has a particularly high density of
important important medieval military buildings. Some are
ruins, but many have survived the ravages of war, fire and
neglect . Some are fascinating windows into the age of
chivalry and the development of this fascinating form of
military construction.
  
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This area
is also interesting and attractive for visitors not only
because of the large number of castles, but also charming,
old world little towns surrounded by fortified walls, towers
and gates, churches and wine growing villages.
Here they approach "Die Lorelei".
The Lorelei rock marks the narrowest and deepest point of
the Rhine. Even in the 19th century, reefs and rapids made
it extremely dangerous for ships to pass this point. The
legend tells us, that a siren called "Lorelei" bewitched the
hearts of the sailors and when they looked up to the rock,
their boat crashed and they sank.
Bob is enjoying Die Lorelei rock from the deck of a
different boat.
  
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The
castles of the Rhine which are such a characteristic feature
of the river landscape, were created by the martial spirit
of the Middle Ages as purely defensive structures, devoid of
all romantic notions, They were built by powerful rulers
over sacred and secular territories, on hilltops, and in the
lowlands as moated castles to protect their manorail estates
and their inhabitants. In most cases the work of breaking
the stones and erecting the massive walls and turrets was
done by feudal serfs.
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