Rüdesheim am Rhein
We arrived there before 9am. The town was still quiet. While we started walking the main road along the river, Boosenburg (Oberburg) and Brömserburg were easily found. The former is a castle complex of a medieval keep and a 19th century neo-Gothic villa, which has been owned by the Carl Jung, a Rüdesheim wine estate, since 1938. We just gazed at the building from a distance. The latter is the property of the Archbishops of Mainz from the early 10th century until the beginning of the 19th century. The building is currently closed due to renovation works and the gardens are only open for events. We looked at the exterior of the building when we passed by.
The building, directly opposite the train station, was where Hugo Asbach, who wanted to make German cognac and learned how to make cognac in France, started making Asbach Uralt, the oldest German brandy brand with only two stills in 1892. Asbach Uralt is still made in the town but at a different location. Now this place is a history and cultural complex with shops, restaurants, museums and event venues.
Drosselgasse is a medieval cobbled street, where Rhine sailors lived in the 15th century. Today it's lined with shops and wine bars/restaurants. It was too early to see people with a glass on the town's most famous street. There were a few people who were taking photos.
At the middle of Drosselgasse was Rüdesheimer Schloss. The building was originally built in 1729 and became the office of the archbishop and prince-elect of Mainz, the office of the Duke of Nassau in 1803, and so on. It was destroyed during WWII and then was reconstructed. The Schloss has been a wine restaurant and hotel, run by the Breuer family, one of the well-known Rüdesheim wineries since 1952.
The carillon on the bell tower in the courtyard plays tunes every hour and wooden figures shows up on the turning table below the bells. I knew we would see it later.
The shop sign of chimney cake! We saw many chimney cake shops and stands in Budapest but we avoided it because we didn't have a good experience with it in Prague. I never thought the spit cake followed us to the little German town...
Surprisingly there was only one bakery in the town center and they didn't have a dine-in space. We kept wondering the town until 9am, when we found a cafe opening for breakfast.
We passed by the Marktplaz. It must be where the town's Christmas market is set up. The statue on the water fountain at the center of the square holds a wine cup cheerfully, as might be expected.
Near the Marktplaz, we found the Klunkhardshof, one of the oldest buildings in Rüdesheim. The late medieval half-timbered house was built in the middle of the 15th century. Its solid rear wall would form a part of the defensive wall of the oldest town fortification and has a passage on the ground-level. The building is privately owned, so you can't see the inside. However, you can pass through the passage. So we did!
We caught the cable car to the hill-top Niederwald Monument from the town of Rüdesheim.
The little gondola had a seat front and back each. There was no window shields on the sides. We fully enjoyed fresh late-spring breeze and splendid 360 degree views of endless vineyard and the Rhine all through the 15 minute ride.
I found a bunny hopping in the vineyard!
The Niederwald Monument on the hill looked very tiny from the gondola...
However, when we reached in the front of the Monument, I realized it was quite huge!
Built between 1871 and 1883, the Monument is to commemorate the victory of the Franco-Prussian War.
There were many visitors around the Monument. You can get there not only by the cable car but also by car or on foot. The hill has several hiking paths and some castle ruins. Actually I suggested J to take a walk to one of the castle ruins, but J said No. Anyway, the view from the foot of the Monument was lovely!
Another fun ride to go back to Rüdesheim!
Looking for another bunny...
After we came back to the town, we found a crowd of people on Drosselgasse who were looking up at the bells of Rüdesheimer Schloss and listening to the chime. We were able to listen to it partially although I missed watching the moving figures...
We tried to visit Siegfried's Mechanical Museum, the first German museum dedicated to self-playing musical instruments. I didn't know the museum could only be visited as part of a guided tour and we needed to wait for an hour for the next available tour. We saved the museum for the next time.
Instead we decided to have an early lunch at the Rüdesheimer Schloss. We were seated at the courtyard. It seemed that we were the first guests for lunch of the day. We were able to pick a table that we liked.
As we were waiting for our dishes, the clock almost hit noon! I quickly moved to a spot under the bell tower and watched the figures moving and listen to the entire chime this time.
When I returned to the table, my dish was already there. We both had 'Frisch auf den Tisch' - Pan-fried trout fresh from the local river Wisper (Wispertal), served with melted butter with almonds and boiled potatoes. Delicious! J also had a glass of white wine at our waitress's suggestion.
By the time the live music performance started, most of the tables at the courtyard were taken and the restaurant became lively.
More people were visiting on the streets. Rüdesheim was truly a tourist town, indeed!
A giant strawberry!
Particularly the monastery's wine growing tradition is certainly preserved. The monastery was tightly associated with wine from the very beginning since its founders came from Burgundy, one of the most well-known wine regions in France. Wine-growing helped the monastery survive over the centuries. Nowadays the vines of wines and sparkling wines are still growing in the monastery's wine estates and several variety of wine products are sold and tasted at the shop and wine bar of the monastery. Therefore wine shopping was a reason for the visit.
Before wine shopping, we did self-guided tour in the museum part of the Monastery complex. The beautiful Conclave and Monastery Garden welcomed us!
The Chapter House was the only room where the monks were allowed to speak. Also, the abbot was elected and buried there.
The Basilica was huge, about 80 meter long with three-naves. Simplicity is the key of Cistercian churches. The Basilica surely introduced it to us. Luckily we were alone most of the time there and appreciated tranquil moments in the Romanesque beauty.
Actually we have been talking about visiting this Abbey for a while because it was a filming location of the 1986 film, The Name of The Rose, starring Sean Connery and Christian Slater. A little room half way up the Night Stairs was where 'William of Baskerville' and his young apprentice were accommodated in.
The Monks' Dormitory on the upper floor is a great example of masterly Gothic architecture. The room was used as a library in the movie.
The Refectory was the monks' dining room. The present dining room, which was rebuilt in the early 18th century in Baroque style, is the only room without medieval atmosphere.
I have been seeing the little piggy as decorative plaster-works on the walls of small rooms in the Basilica. I learned later that it was a boar. 'Eberbach' means 'boar's brook.' Legend says, when Bernhard von Clairvaux, the famous Cistercien Abbot and the founder of the monastery, visited this region first time with Archbishop Adalbert from Mainz, he saw a boar jumping out of a hedge and over the brook. Did the boar look cute like that?
The Lay Brothers' Building was separated from the Monks' living area.
The Lay Brothers' Dining Hall turned into a wine cellar in the 15th century, when the number of lay brothers declined and the wine-making increased. Today the historic wine presses are set up in the room. The number 10 is the oldest, dated 1668.
Behind the Dining Room there was a small room filled with historic bits and pieces.
