August 11th, 2016
With a SUPER early departure on Friday morning for our London trip with Momo and Popo, we decided to drive to the airport on Thursday and stay at a hotel close by. To make the most of the day, we stopped at Bingen to take a boat ride on the Rhine. A co-worker of Mein Mann’s had recommended this quaint town and the boat rides that go out from it.
It was raining Thursday morning while we all packed. After lunch, the sky cleared up as we loaded into two cars and started driving. After arriving in Bingen, we found places to park, talked over distance options (to determine both return time and price) with the man at the ticket window and boarded a boat all within about 20 minutes or so. Since this side trip was pretty spontaneous for us, we hadn’t done much planning. We were pleasantly surprised with how well things worked out. An added bonus was the beautiful weather! Yippee!!
Here we are boarding…
We quickly learned the sooner you board, the more likely you are to get seats on a crowded boat! After a bit of scavenging for random seats, we put together a little sitting area for ourselves in the shade and enjoyed the views of castles, vineyards and quaint villages along the river.
In the middle of the top deck was a children’s slide. I love how the Germans incorporate play areas for children!
Here’s a short video clip of our surroundings, complete with guitar playing and singing!
When we got off the boat in Bacharach, a spirited swan came to greet the newest visitors.
We could have easily lingered here for awhile. However, we only had about fifteen minutes before our next boat arrived to take us back up the Rhine. Momo and Popo hung out near the dock while the rest of us walked up a little ways into the village. It looked so inviting! Sadly, the minutes quickly ticked away and we headed back to the dock with a very frustrated child who wanted something he saw in one of the stores we walked by. Thankfully, he bounced back in time to board the next boat. Oh, the ups and downs of parenting.
Our next boat was not crowded at ALL! The top deck had a nice covering for several people to sit under. There was also another children’s play area. These extra comforts added to an already lovely ride on the Rhine.
The two Mr & Mrs Cowell. =)
We disembarked in the village of Bingen and walked along the lovely promenade. The flowers were in full bloom. BEAUTIFUL!
We found a Biergarten Popo had spotted from the boat. The setting was wonderful and the food was delicious! I ordered a vegetarian burger than was literally a bun with a bunch of cooked veggies in the middle. The sauce made the meal!
Here are a couple of Popo’s pictures! It kinda looks like I have E in a neck hold…rest assured, I don’t.
After dinner, we walked to a little ice cream shop in Bingen. As we walked back to our cars, it began to sprinkle. Perfect timing!
For both Mein Mann and I, this day was such a highlight for us of Momo and Popo’s visit! We are so grateful we got to share this experience together as we discovered more of the beauty that surrounds us here in Germany.
Schönen Tag! (Have a good day!)
