My First Visit to Bingen am Rhein – Part 2
You can read my introduction to town twinning here and part one of my trip to Bingen here.
The rest of the trip was more active than the first full day, though that’s not to say there wasn’t plenty more wine to be drunk. Our second day saw us drive to the historic town of Bacharach, which dates back more than a thousand years. In centuries past it played an important role in the local wine trade as a riverside hub, with all the expected politics and taxes. Over time however it fell victim to the numerous wars between France and the German states, seeing it both occupied and ransacked many times. Its fortunes revived in the nineteenth century during the period of the Rheinromantik, or Rhine romanticism as we call it in English. It remains a popular tourist destination for both its history and beautiful Fachwerkhäuse buildings.
We were fortunate enough to have an English-speaking guide (who originally hails from the United States) who was able to show us around some of the more important spots and relay some of its history, including that of historical floods that devasted the town much the same as the numerous wars did. I would have loved to have spent more time here with my camera but alas we had to move onto one of the best views I have ever had eating lunch.
The Rhine romanticism attracted all sorts of writers and artists and one of the most famous was English painter William Turner who painted no less than twenty-six views of this part of the Rhine. In fact, there is a dedicated Turner trail that takes you from Bingen all the way to Koblenz with dedicated markers for you to trace his footsteps. Perhaps that is something to explore more on a future visit. We stopped off at number seventeen, the View of Oberwesel, which gave a spectacular view down the Rhine and the fantastic restaurant there, Günderoderhaus, has a bit of cultural history of its own, having featured in the famous German film series Heimat. All very civilised.
After heading home for a couple of hours to chill, my host Stefan and I headed round to a neighbour for a bratwurst barbeque with a few of the others from Hitchin and their hosts. Situated in an old barn on a farm it was a very pleasant slice of rural living and set Stefan and I up nicely for the evening as we headed back into town to enjoy the Winzerfest fireworks before another hearty round of wine. There were certainly no half measures for the fireworks. At times the town hall disappeared completely in sparks and smoke.
The last full day was our most adventurous with a short ferry ride down the Rhine to the next town of Assmanshausen. We were not on for very long, but it was great to actually be on the Rhine all the same. Even better as we not only got a closer look at more ruined castles, but also the famous Mäuserturm which thankfully was without scaffolding after years of restoration work. Handily the names of towns are written Hollywood style on the hills for easy identification from the river. After disembarking and enjoying a jaunt through the town we took a ski lift to the top of the hill for a walk through the woods along the ridge.
We were very lucky (or at least most of us were) as just after we took the lift it broke down. Although this did mean our oldest member was not able to join us and we had to meet them later at a different location. After the train debacle on the first day our view of German efficiency was certainly taking a hit. Perhaps things aren’t so bad back home in the UK after all? After enjoying the mini deer park we walked along to the Niederwald bei Rüdesheim viewpoint which gives the best views of Bingen and the Mäuserturm from on high. It also made a great rest point before we continued onto the Niederwalddenkmal where the giant figure of Germania towers over the Rhine in tribute to a unified German.
A short distance away was a café where we could re-unite with the lost members of our group as well as enjoy a spot of lunch, all while listening to a live band. A very continental experience made better by the good weather. It was then time to head back down to river level via a cable car, but this time to Rüdesheim, another popular tourist destination. We didn’t have much time to explore however, before we got another ferry back across the water before heading back home. To cap off a successful trip we had one final meal with everyone in the evening, saying our goodbyes to those who we wouldn’t see in the morning.
As I was in the group that was flying back we had a little extra time in the morning (not so for the group on the train, though thankfully this time they had no issues). Stefan dropped me off in town and I had a chance to have a proper walk around Bingen by myself, first visiting the Saint Martin Basilica before walking the entire length of the promenade along the river. In doing so I managed to find the Hitchin Garden which of course had both English roses and the lavender that Hitchin is known for. September is well passed the lavender season, but luckily there was a single stalk that was still purple.
To finish up Stefan picked me up for one last lunch along the Rhine at a spot he visits frequently. Here lies part of the ruins of the Hindenburg Bridge, built between 1913 and 1915 and destroyed at the end of the Second World War. Given the sheer scale of the rebuilding effort across Germany in the late 1940s and early 1950s the bridge was never rebuilt, and the next closest bridges are 30km away in Mainz or nearly 70km away in Koblenz. It seems slightly mad to me, but I guess it keeps the ferrymen happy.
It had only been a few days, but I had thoroughly enjoyed myself, especially as it not only gave me a great opportunity to practice my German but also because it was such a radically different trip to the ones I normally go on. It gave me a newfound appreciation for a part of Germany I had previously known very little about and it planted the seeds for friendships that hopefully will continue to grow for years to come. That really is the aim for town twinning, and I hope this short series of blogs has gotten that message across. It really offers a different way to great experiences and I hope I’ve inspired you to learn more about your local town twinning association and to consider getting involved.
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