My last post about my Viking River Cruise left off in the romantic village of Bacharach, Germany. I have been sharing posts with you for two years now. I had hoped that I would have all of them posted by now, but it just hasn’t worked out that way. Maybe by next spring I will have them all under my belt and the complete series posted. It is just there was so much to see and so much I want to share. We really had a wonderful time and I highly recommend Viking to anyone looking to take a river cruise in Europe.
So, after sailing by Bacharach am Rhein, our next little village was Lorchhausen. And this village did not disappoint. Lucky for us, it was on the side of the Rhine that was favorable to taking pictures that afternoon, so you really can tell just how lovely it is. And it is also very romantic.
Lorchhausen is a tourist and winemaking area. There are lots of vineyards lining the banks of the Rhine here.
The village dates to around 1211 and does not have a castle but there are several within view, such as Stahleck in Bacharach. These little villages literally dot each side of the Rhine and are only a few kilometers apart, usually alternating from one side to the other.
There is a central church, the Parish of St. Boniface, and one lone defensive tower leftover from ancient times before. You can see it to the left of the steeple on St. Boniface above.
And, on the hill above the village is the sweet little St. Clement’s Chapel.
The buildings lining the bank of the Rhine here did not appear to be as old as some of the other villages we had passed already, but there were still hotels and restaurants galore.
The Parish of St. Boniface is not that old, dating to 1875. But it stands high and proud above all the other buildings in town.
There is a stream that flows down here to the Rhine, one of it’s tributaries known as the Retz. Probably a good reason for settlement in this area.
But oh, that sweet little chapel above the vineyards.
Clemenskapelle only dates to 1909. And it is tiny compared to St. Boniface below.
There are hiking trails that you can take to the chapel. This area is known as a recreational resort area.
Here you can see the fortification tower a little better.
Oh, I just love that little chapel. I was tickled that the lighting was perfect for this side of the Rhine when we passed by. It really stood out against the brilliant blue sky and those wonderful clouds.
Lorchhausen is one of the border areas of the Rhinegau, which is between the Rhineland Palatinate and Hessen.
They are famous for their Riesling wines, also known as Rheingau wines.
Such a lovely place to make wine.
And here is my km marker, number 542.
So glad that they had these markers. It really made it easy for me to identify my photos when I got back.
Lots of vacation houses for the tourist trade. Balconies upon balconies to take in the view.
But soon we were on our way to our next little village, saying good bye to romantic Lorshhausen.
But first we had to pass a few more villas and vineyards.
And looking back across the Rhine, we had one last dreamy look at Stahleck Castle. You can tell it was on the “dark side” this afternoon. The pictures taken of those villages are a little darker, but they still help remind me of what a wonderful experience this was, spending an afternoon on the top deck of our Viking Longship Ingvi, taking it all in. So, you can see not all villages needed a castle, there was almost literally a castle on every hilltop river bend.
Traveling through all the toll collections must have been something back in the day. It would have taken a lot longer than the three and a half hours or so we spent going from Marksburg Castle to what would be our next stop in Rudesheim. And those tax collections or tolls, were more than just spoils for the rich, they did actually go to helping maintain the channels in the Rhine so that it was passible. And we were not finished yet with our castles, we still had a half dozen or so that we would pass by. We still had another 15 or so kilometers to go.
This is not a sponsored post. This is my experience from my trip with Viking River Cruises. Email me to find out how you can save $100 when you book your first cruise with Viking through their referral program.
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