Aug 23 2013

Thanks for the memory…….Castles on the Rhine.


As we sailed serenely down the Rhine, I was reminded of that 1938 song by Hoagy Carmichael, ‘Thanks for the memory’. Whenever I’ve heard it sung, I’ve wondered about those “Castles on the Rhine” which come after “Candlelight and wine,” in the lyrics. Well yesterday my curiosity was finally assuaged, as we passed castle after castle, seemingly without end, until we arrived in Braubach. A few of you have asked me to please show you some views from our cruise ship, so here goes. You’ll probably be as “castled out” by the end as I was. 🙂

As we neared Braubach, we caught sight of the beautiful Marksburg Castle, the only hill castle along the Rhine which has never been destroyed, making it the most original castle in the entire valley of the Loreley. We were able to visit it later, but that’s a post for another day.

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Today we are in Cologne, and I’ve been out most of the day looking at the magnificent cathedral. Tonight we have a classical music evening after dinner, in sharp contrast to last night’s entertainment, which ended up with our young Program Director doing a very convincing impersonation of Elvis singing ‘All Shook Up’. His white suit, dark shades and hip gyrations were right on the nail.

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Have a great weekend everyone. I have only one full day of our cruise left and it’s back to England on Sunday, and on to Florida on Tuesday. It’s all go! I’m rather looking forward to being able to relax for a change. Being on holiday is so exhausting. 🙂

70 comments on “Thanks for the memory…….Castles on the Rhine.”

  1. Pingback: Day 5 – Miltenberg on the Main River in Lower Franconia, Barvaria | European Holiday and River Cruising Memoirs

  3. I bet you are exhausted. Celebrations, food, family, conversation, castles, you name it. It looks like you have had a wonderful time, but I expect it will be nice to get back home. (No agenda )

  6. I loved these photos AD and went to look at my own pics from our very much shorter Rhine cruise. One or two of my pics are of the same castles as yours but not nearly as well framed. Where did your cruise start and end?

  10. Castles, Cologne, and Elvis, too! What a cruise! Sounds like you’re having a wonderful time. I hope the rest is every bit as nice. 🙂

  20. Thanks for sharing this….brought back fond memories. My folks are from Germany and I’ve visited several times. I once took a train ride along the Rhine on travels from Belgium to Munich. Those castles are amazing. Have a great time and I look forward to your next posts 🙂

  22. That seems like a fantastic cruise to me. I am sure recovering from “castled out” was minor side effect. These pictures of castles should keep you from missing ones out for awhile 🙂

  25. Definitely a case of “ships that pass”, Sylvia! We’ll have to organise it better next year. Glad you’ve had such a good time. I have Polish family arriving Wednesday so plan a lazy weekend in preparation. Safe journey 🙂

  27. Would love the sailing down the river part, but what does one do with a castle in this day and age? Much like some of our restored Victorians around here, can’t help but think of the upkeep… Sounds like you’re having fun and that’s the important thing. Then you get to rest up in good old Florida. A tough life, but someone’s gotta do it! 😉

  33. Your pictures are beautiful, Sylvia. I’ve been on a similar tour in Germany, but sadly the day I went it was damp and foggy and the pictures didn’t turn out well. It looks like you had a lovely time and still have lots of travel ahead. Be safe! 🙂

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