Rhine River Adventure!

Two days after we arrived in Muenster, Steve and I (Kelsey) took a day trip down to the Rhine River. Four others from our study abroad trip joined us as well. Alyssa, Justine, and Taylor decided to stay in Muenster to catch up on some sleep and settle into Muenster, so they did not join us. Our day started really early. We had to catch a 6 am train, so i woke up around 4 or so. We had about a four hour train ride down to St. Goar, a small town on the River where we were to start our boat cruise. We arrived a little early so we were able to walk around the town a little bit, eat at a cafe, and hop in a few souvenir shops.

Around 11, we get on the boat and enjoy an hour and a half ride up the river. It was the most beautiful day out. We sat on the top deck relaxing and enjoying the views. We saw about 4 or 5 castles while we were on the boat, as well as little towns on the river and lots of vineyards.

We got off the boat at a town called Braubach, where the Marksburg Castle was. This is the only castle along the Rhine that was not destroyed during WWII.

We hiked up to the castle and were able to tour it. The only thing was that the tour was completely in German, and you had to do this tour if you wanted to see the inside of the castle. It wasn't too bad, especially for me. It helped my German to hear it for 30 minutes.

(view from the top of the castle)

After the tour we hiked back down to the town and found a restaurant to eat a late lunch. Then we had to go to the train station to catch a train back to Muenster. It was a quick day trip, but completely worth it.