Germany Trip Plan:
Wine- and Federweisser-Vintage-Festivals and the "Rhine in Flames"

Bacharach from the Postenturm, author Peter Weller
[ source: Wikimedia]

Day 1: Bacharach

Arrive at your holiday apartment in the small village of Bacharach in the Rhineland-Palatinate. It's a perfect place to start your vacation. The medieval townscape attracts a great number of travelers. Visit the Stahleck Castle, nowadays one of the most beautiful youth hostels in the River Rhine Valley, the Gothic Werner Chapel and the Castle ruins Stahlberg, in the town district Steeg. Rest assured you will find a friendly restaurant owner who will explain the range of flavors available in German Riesling wines, who are perfect matches with the hearty food of the region. During your stay you might also like to visit the Mittelrheinhalle, Middle Rhine Hall. There is live music and dancing during the whole autumn season. Since the number of seats in the hall is limited, an advanced order of the meals is recommended, connected wit a seat reservation.

Oberwesel, author Peter Weller
[ source: Wikimedia]

Day 2: Oberwesel

The city of Oberwesel, Rhineland-Palatinate, is considered as an impressive evidence of town construction in the Middle Ages. Here you can walk on the accessible ancient city wall and admire 16 military towers. Definitely worth a visit are 2 beautiful churches and the Schönburg Castle.

The annual Wine Festival takes place from the 11th to the 14th and from the 18th to 19th of September 2009, to be followed by the Federweisser Festival on all weekends in October. The Rhine in Flames wine festivals and fireworks will highlight Oberwesel on the 12th and 13th of September 2009 under the slogan The Night of the 1000 Flames. Expect brilliant fireworks, music, lots of generously poured wines, accompanied by fresh onion tarts and other great local foods.

Bingen, Castle Klopp, author Peter Weller
[ source: Wikimedia]

Day 3: Bingen

Embark on one of the Cruise Ships and take a leisure trip to Bingen, Rhineland-Palatinate. This modern city is situated at the gateway to the Romantic River Rhine and in the middle of the four wine growing regions of Rheinhessen, Nahe, Rheingau and the Middle Rhine. It is also the location of the Mäuseturm, or Mouse Tower and the home of the popular saint, Hildegard von Bingen. The town's landmark is the Klopp Castle, now home to the city council. The courtyard and the donjon look-out are open to visitors.

As a highlight in the jubilee year 900 years of Hidegard, Bingen opened a museum in the former electricity power station, on the bank of the River Rhine, not far from the mouth of the River Nahe. The power station itself is an industrial monument. The station was built in 1898 and was regarded as a Cathedral of progress and was included in the collection of Gothic and neo-Gothic sacred buildings, such as the St Martin's Church and the Rochus Chapel from the year 1895. From the entrance of the museum you can see the Mäuseturm, the ruins of Ehrenfels Castle, the Niederwald monument and the city of Rüdesheim.

The castle Katz from Patersberg and a part of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley. In the background the Loreley Rock, author Felix Koenig
[ source: Wikimedia]

Day 4: St. Goar, St. Goarshausen and the Loreley Rock

The 19th of September is the Night of the Loreley! Already in the 6th century the holy Goar settled directly opposite the Loreley Rock at the location of today's city of St. Goar. Throning above Sankt Goar however, is the greatest tourist attraction, the Rheinfels Fortress, the largest castle ruin on the River Rhine. St. Goarshausen is connected to its sister city St. Goar by the Loreley ferry, so that various possibilities are offered here for an active and recreational holiday. The Loreley Rock itself is a 433 feet high slate cliff. The view of St. Goarshausen from the Loreley outlook point, with the Castle Katz and the view of the town St. Goar and its Fortress Rheinfels, leaves a wonderful impression on all Loreley tourists.

The two towns near the Loreley Rock, St. Goarshausen and its twin St. Goar present the extraordinary fireworks Rhine in flames from the Castles Katz and Rheinfels and from a ship in the middle of the Rhine, to round off the week long wine festival in the historic town quarters of St. Goarshausen and St. Goar, on the 19th of September 2009. 70 ships of the White Fleet offer premiere seats on the Rhine and even if you were not able to reserve your space on board such a ship, the views are spectacular from every point of view.

Boppard, vineyards at the Bopparder Hamm, author Niklas B.
[ source: Wikimedia]

Day 5: Boppard

Boppard, Rhineland-Palatinate, can be proud to have the most precipitous vineyards and one of the nicest bank promenades on the Middle River Rhine Valley and the oldest preserved Roman fortress walls to the north of the Alps. A walk in the Wine Town of Boppard might find a suitable end in one of the numerous taverns called Straußenwirtschaft. In immediate proximity lies one of the best wine growing districts. In sunny south location it extends in a crescent shaped manner along the large River Rhine loop. It is called the Bopparder Hamm. On 75 hectares the queen of the vines, the Riesling, is cultivated. Take the chair lift Sesselbahn and enjoy a breathtaking birds-eye view of Boppard and the Bopparder Hamm and from up top enjoy the so called Four-Lakes-View, Vierseenblick.

On Saturday, the 26th of September 2009, the action gets going here with the 1st wine festival and firework under the slogan Luminous Night on the Middle Rhine River. You might like to take a boat round-trip to watch the fireworks which take place on the opposite side of Boppard and the River Rhine, or keep on celebrating at the festival in the Wine Town Boppard.

Rüdesheim, town center with tower
[ source: Wikimedia]

Day 6: Rüdesheim

As soon as you cross the River Rhine you will be no longer in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, but in Hesse. Take a day trip to the beautiful town of Rüdesheim, a historic Hesse town of wine growers. The town dates back to the Middle Ages and parts of the city's fortifications like the Adlerturm, or Eagle Tower, are well preserved. Here you will find cosy traditional Wine Taverns in historic half-timbered houses. No tourist leaves this international well-known town without visiting the world famous Drosselgasse.

This year's Federweisser days are held from the 23rd to 25th of October and the 30th October to the 1st of November. Particularly in the wine growing areas the fizzy, milky-white drink in the quarter-liter glasses, with the peculiar name of Federweißer, feather white, is enjoying increasing popularity. Those who come to Rüdesheim for this special time should bring the desire to learn something new and interesting with them.

Lorch, Hesse, author Traveler100
[ source: Wikimedia]

Day 7: Lorch

Use your last day to discover the nearby town of Lorch, in Hesse, on the opposite side of the River Rhine. It stands for rest, idyll and recovery. Walk its 32 lanes with arch ways, nooks and recesses from the Middle Ages. Romantic half timbered houses, the well fortified Strunck, the Leprosenhaus, house of lepers, with a round tower, the Zehnthof, storage yard for the duties to the church, the town hall and the church accentuate the willful, yet discrete character of the town. A very striking building is the Hilchen house from the 16th century, located directly at the River Rhine. Overall, Lorch presents an interesting and varied townscape with its strong fortifications, fortified towers and walls. In the town you also find many Straußwirtschaften in authentic atmosphere, wine-cellars and exclusive restaurants.

The month of October is the season for the Federweisser

In addition to the classic Wine Festivals, the Federweisser-Vintage-Festivals are also very popular in Germany. Federweisser wine is grape must, which is just undergoing the process of fermentation. Grape must is the juice of the wine grapes which is gained after the pressing of grapes. After corresponding treatment and storing, the must would become wine after finishing the process of fermentation. Because of this, Federweisser is not especially produced as some kind of drink, but as an early product of the wine production.

Solely in the Rhineland-Palatinate, you will find Federweisser-Vintage-Festivals in the event calendars of more than 30 towns and wine villages. Those festivals do not only attract natives, but also many tourists from near and far.

Especially recommended are tours to Oberwesel or Bacharach on all weekends in October. They can be combined with ship round-cruises and firework displays of the event series Rhine River Lights. Since the weather is quite cool in Germany in October, there are heated festival pavilions available for the guests. In addition to Federweisser wine and Onion Tarts, Rhine River Wines are also offered.

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