August 2016
Our river cruise stopped in Rudesheim, a small town(population: around 10,000 people) in the middle of the major wine producing region in the Rhine Valley that is part of UNESCO World Heritage area. A choo-choo train shuttle was provided from the boat dock to the town center.
We got on the cable car(8 Euros, R/T) from there and went up to the park where the patriotic monument commemorating the unification of Germany, Niederwalddenkmal, stands. The view from there is what you see in the picture above. The town across the river is Bingen, known for the Catholic saint Hildegard of Bingen and the wineries.
The official name of the town is actually Rüdesheim am Rhein to distinguish it from the smaller nearby town of Rüdesheim an der Nahe. Other than the monument, pictured above on the left, this town has a famous shopping and dining alley called Drosselgasse. We stopped at a museum housing hundreds of music boxes in the town center before heading down this alley.
On Drossegasse, many restaurants served Rüdesheimer Kaffee, a coffee with Asbach Uralt brandy, served flambéed. We had it with a slice of apple strudel, and it was heavenly! By the time we got to the bottom of this street, we were close enough to the boat dock so that we could walk back to our ship.
Small Wide World 