Bacharach on the Rhine

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Sunday, Sept. 8

I woke up ready to continue my trip and laugh at my stupidity demonstrated last night. The weather was cool as I took off to roam the streets of Bacharach. Since it was Sunday, a few of the shops were closed, but the restaurants were open, and that was important. There were such amazing smells coming from the kitchens, and I was ready to eat. I stopped at a cute, quirky place run by a woman in her mid sixties who spoke very good English. She said that Joe Cocker had performed the night before in an open air amphitheater on top of the Lorelei Cliff very near Bacharach. She and her employees are big fans, so she shut down the restaurant on a Saturday night so they could all go to the concert. My kind of woman! She can also cook. I ate the traditional sauerbraten with potato dumplings and a salad. I'm not usually a beef eater, but I wanted to try her specialty, and it was really good. Apparently, potato dumplings are mashed potatoes mixed with Elmer's Glue or clear Jell-o (I'm not sure which one). They were sticky and kind of congealed...they looked good, but I could do without them. I came back a few hours later for her handmade apple strudel. It was really yummy. I told her that I like to bake, and I would like to know how she makes the crust. She politely refused to share that information. She said she worked with her grandmother for years until she had learned how to do it. Before arriving in Bacharach, I had not crossed paths with many Americans, but they seemed to have taken over this town. I spent some time talking with different Americans and exchanging ideas and advice. It's been interesting to hear what Germans think of Americans. One local woman told me I didn't look American. When I asked why, she told me it was because the women wear a lot of makeup and perfume; I should have just told her I'm a midwestern farm girl. The woman who ran the restaurant had told me that most of her experience with Americans is the young military families who are stationed nearby. They are young and uneducated, but she seemed to understand that we are a large country with much variation. One man on a train asked me how long I had been teaching high school. I hadn't said anything about teaching! I asked him how he figured that out, and he said I just give that impression, and that he is good at reading people. He also told me I like to paint and I like music. I was beginning to hear the “Twilight Zone” theme song. I digress. Back to Bacharach. I hopped a train for a 10 minute ride to the nearby town of St. Goar. I had planned to visit the old castle, but the shuttle that takes you up and down the hill was only making one more run, and that wouldn't have given me enough time to see the castle. It's hard to get to any of the castles because they are on steep hills, and I'm not into hiking. I guess that was the whole idea of positioning them on hills...it seems to work! So instead of exploring the castle ruins, I happened by a Birkenstock store. I have feet issues due to arthritis, and my Birkenstocks are my all-time most comfortable shoes. The only ones I have are sandals, and since the weather had cooled off, I was wearing a different brand. My feet were not too happy. I bought a new, ugly pair of Birkenstocks somewhat cheaper than they are back home. Happy feet! I was feeling pretty cocky about being able to hop on and off trains without screwing up, so I grabbed another train back to Bacharach. The trains are nice and almost always on time. As I was sitting on a bench at the track, an old biplane went flying over. A few minutes later, there was a really loud, old bomber that flew over. It was kind of a strange feeling to be in Germany and have these military planes flying over. I didn't know whether to look for Snoopy or a bomb shelter. After arriving back at my hotel, I took a little break in my tower room by watching some CNN in English and checking Facebook. That keeps me from being lonely. I had met a solo woman from the state of Washington earlier in the day, so we met for dinner in the hotel dining room. She was a lot of fun, and we have many things in common. I ate fried local trout with an almond beurre over it. There was also a salad and some potatoes. My wine choice was a local Bacharach white wine that was classified as haupbroken, which means half-dry (and is probably misspelled). It was very good, but I was not going to make the mistake of having too much! I had a new burst of self-confidence, so I was ready to forge ahead. Tomorrow...4 different fast train transfers, ending in Rothenburg ob der Tauber. It's a medieval walled town that is still very traditionally Bavarian. I'm still debating about buying a cuckoo clock. I really don't know what I'd do with it, but we had one when I was a little kid, and I'm kind of drawn to them. We'll see.

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Photos

Hotel Kranenturm
This used to be an old crane tower which loaded barrels of wine onto ships on the Rhine. Now it's a hotel where I spent 2 nights.

Sign near the Rhine
I don't know what a Lorelyfahrt is, but I can't imagine that it is romantic!

Typical scene in Bacharach
If you look very closely, you'll find me sitting on the well.

Apple Strudel
This was very good, but I thought it could use a little more sugar and cinnamon.

Comments

[Pat Fuller]

translator
I love your blog. You have a way with story telling. About the language thing, can't you get a translator app for your phone?