Leaving Wurzburg, a couple short train rides brought us to Bingen, a small town at the southern end of the most beautiful stretch of the Rhine River, the area commonly called "The Romantic Rhine". Unfortunately, it was raining and didn't feel very romantic, especially after a half mile walk uphill to the only hostel in town. Luckily, the next morning the sun broke through and we started the day with a great view from our hostel. To the right we looked over the town, ahead of us we looked across the river to the vineyards and ruined castle on the other side. This was the first of many castle ruins we would see.

We rented some bikes and headed north on the great bike path that ran alongside the river to the town of St. Goar. Every two or three kilometers we would catch site of a new castle on one of the bluffs over the bend. Every south facing hill face was covered with vineyards, and whenever there was space between the hills and the river, little walled towns full of skinny alleys and half-timber houses squeezed in. There are so many castles in the area because in the middle ages the local lords became rich and powerful by taxing the trade going up and down the river. Each lord built a castle or two to help protect his revenue.

There was even one castle built on an island in the center of the river. It looks almost like a ship, rising with sheer walls out of the water, and bristling with gun emplacements.

The towns grew rich along with their lords. Many of them still had their protective walls and tours intact, as well as some impressive churches. The towns on different sides of the river are connected by a series of small car ferries. No bridges span the river along this whole stretch.

On our second day we rode a ferry across the river from Bingen to hike in the hills on the other side. The trail started up through some of Germany's best Riesling vineyards, and then into the forest above.

In the afternoon, we caught a train up to Koblenz, at the north end of this stretch of the river. Koblenz was another friendly medium-sized German city, lying at the confluence of the Rhine and Mosell Rivers. We found a great little campsite just across the Mosell River from the city center and connected by a tiny ferry run by a couple of funny old guys. Half of the campsite was full of people bike tripping through the area. That night we self-catered at our campsite and enjoyed some great Rhine area wine, at $3 bottle!

Koblenz served as our base for another bike ride. This time we rode down the river to St. Goar, so that we covered the entire stretch over our two days of rides. We were treated to more great scenery: castles, small towns, and vineyard covered hills.

After two nights in Koblenz we headed north toward Amsterdam, where we would meet up with Michaela's parents for the weekend. On the way, we couldn't help but stop in Koln (Cologne) and check out the city's famous cathedral. It didn't disappoint. The sheer size of the cathedral is impressive, and the architecture and decoration was beautifully done. No wonder it took several hundred years to complete.