Saturday 13th July - Winningen

This will be the last blog until our return mid-August as tomorrow will be frantic packing up and cleaning.....as far as Crew is concerned anyway!!  Skip says he’s not taking anything back - seeing is believing!!
We decided on lunch at the camp site which is opposite us on a little peninsular - the men had been over a few days ago and liked the look of the menu.  We were not disappointed.......we all ordered the calves’ liver - this time though, Henk and Crew ordered a smaller portion, which was more than enough and very delicious!  Although it was easily walkable, it was still pretty damp under foot from yesterdays’ storm, so we took the car.
After a rest, we started on some cleaning, etc. Then had a quiet evening and a reasonably early night.
So reader(s), I will say ‘Auf  Wiedersehen’ for now and will be back, if all goes well, around 20th August.

Friday 12th July - Winningen

Crew had forgotten to order the bread rolls from the office/chandlery yesterday so, last night at dinner, Henk asked the waitress if she would order it for us.  This she kindly did and so all Crew had to do was to go and collect it after 11 a.m.  Unfortunately, by the time eleven o’clock came round, it was raining quite heavily and it was after 1 p.m. until it eased off slightly, so Crew braved the elements (with umbrella) only to be told it was lunch time and the office was closed.  So.....two trips for the bread!
Henk came over for our usual lunch - today served below as, by now, it was a full blown storm.  The thunder was so loud with the odd flash of lightning and even hailstones!  He had had a call from Skip to say that he was stuck in Luxembourg and would be at least two hours late, so a late lunch for him!
Altogether the noisy storm went on for around four hours, almost making us deaf, so loud was it!!
Skip was very tired after his two long days’ travelling, so we had a quiet afternoon and evening, Crew cooking the last of our British steaks for dinner and relaxing in front of the TV before bed.

Thursday 11th July - Winningen

Today was car collection day for Skip, which involved a three country train trip - Germany, Switzerland, and finally, France!  Needless to say this journey was to take all day, so Skip booked a hotel room in St. Jean de Losne for tonight and will drive back here tomorrow.

Crew considered accompanying him but Skip said he would get up very early tomorrow and arrive back here around lunchtime - that and two train fares!!  So Crew needs to get on with a few chores.
Henk came over, as usual, for lunch......cheese two days in a row for Crew!!
A bit of a lie down then for Crew, then tackled the fridge and the shoe department.  There must be shoes in there that haven’t been seen for a year or two!  Indeed there were but it was decided to keep all the inmates, so they all came out, shelf cleaned.........and they all went back in the locker!!  Job done!
We had a drink on board before going over to the restaurant for dinner.  Once there, we bit the bullet and decided to go German and ordered wurst and pommes frites - a European meal if ever there was one!  Crew thought that, at one stage, a German sausage needs to be experimented with.....the sausage was as expected - German!  Not Crews’s favourite food but the piquant sauce it was served with was very good and, of course, a copious amount of chips to accompany!!  Was not bad for €6.80.  We managed to sit outside, chatting until almost 11 o’clock, then retired to our respective boats.

Wednesday 10th July - Winningen

The mornings are quite cold at the moment, 8c this morning (more like autumn mornings) so Crew stayed in bed till it warmed up.......good excuse!
Before getting to sleep last night we heard a bang on the side of the boat - we kind of ignored it, in favour of sleep but in the morning, the same thing happened.  So Skip busied himself retying the lines to move us forward a bit, thus avoiding contact with the metal pontoon....of course, Henk moved forward with us.  Unusually, the pontoons are metal, which doesn’t help reduce the damage incurred, which was minimal for us but Henk unfortunately sustained a bigger bash on the front of his boat as we moored stern to but Henk had a dinghy on the back of Cornelis k., so moored front in.
The day was warming up nicely and we lunched on deck in the sunshine. Then the men went exploring the island opposite us, where there is a camp site with a restaurant.  They reported back that it was about a 1 km walk but the restaurant looked good in a very nice setting, so we plan to go for dinner there before we leave.
Crew cooked a light supper, served later than expected, as the gas went out before the dish was cooked.......always happens, Sods’ Law!!  A quiet evening then, with some TV.

Tuesday 9th July - Lahnstein to Winningen

Our last day on the Rhine - just 5 km until we turn off onto the Mosel - we left at 10.30 again.  The weather was cool and grey again, so the shorts were abandoned in favour of long trousers, and for the men, socks.....wimps!
A bit more busy with commercial traffic today - indeed when we needed to turn, two big boys were approaching upstream, forcing us to go behind them both, before turning.  Then a pretty 13 km run along the Mosel, the banks lined with grapevines.
We had pre- booked and indeed, pre-paid for our mooring for five weeks and our designated space was free - however, Henks’ berth, next to us, was not, so he tied off at the end of the pontoon.
We lunched on smoked salmon and prawns (in case of more sausage and schnitzel later - and we thought sauerkraut would be the enemy!!).
The men went over to the office after lunch to check in and try and find a chart for the Mosel - we had been told that they were out of print but Skip found a large chart with not only the Mosel but also the Saar and the Lahn.......not cheap at €45.90 but a necessity really, so the price had to be paid. Henk was asked to raft alongside of us, which he did and then Crew went to look at the menu in the on site restaurant and decided that we would all find something to our taste.
We had an apero on board and went to the restaurant about 7.30.  In the event we all ordered Argentinian steaks and very good they were too, although still on the large side for Crew and Henk.....Skip valiantly finished his!  The food and wine were very good and the waitress was lovely, with very good English as she had lived in Australia and South Africa for some time.  It was just about warm enough to sit on the terrace too, so a good evening.
TV a bit sketchy but managed to watch ITV3, then bed.

18km 2 1/4 hours

Monday 8th July - Sankt Goar to Lahnstein

We left the lovely, friendly Funboat Marina at 10.30 for a one night stay in Lahnstein.  Unfortunately, the weather had taken a turn for the worse and it was grey, relatively cold and windy.....even colder once underway, given the wind factor!
However we had a good run with not too much traffic and some beautiful castles en route, albeit under grey skies.
We arrived at the little port just after midday and were welcomed by the harbourmaster who indicated that we should moor against the clubhouse/restaurant and Henk to raft up alongside us.  The clubhouse was not too large but was very new, with a lovely bar, restaurant and terrace.
After usual beer, lunch and siesta, we looked at the menu but were not that impressed......it was very small and consisted of the usual wurst and snitzels, none of which we are very fond of, so we decided to try and find somewhere for dinner in town.
After an apero on board, we walked across the bridge into town, making for a Vietnamese restaurant. Unfortunately, they were closed for a five week holiday!!!!   Must be rich Vietnamese!!  We had no luck looking around for an alternative, as every restaurant was closed - even the kebab house!  It was Monday after all, I suppose.  So back to the clubhouse, for a Germanic supper.......not the best, but needs must!
We watched a remake of A Star is Born and bed.

30 km 2 hours

Sunday 7th July - Sankt Goar

We woke to grey skies and rain, which was expected but maybe not quite so much!  However it promised to improve so we still planned to go up to the castle by taxi, around midday.  Although it was only a five minute ride, it was, of course, pretty steep - good reason for not walking up!
The view of the valley was fantastic - we could even see our boats in the marina.
Rheinfels Burg (castle) was originally built by the Counts of Katzenelnberg in the 14th century and variously rebuilt in the 16th and 18th centuries and is the largest castle in the Rhine valley.  The remaining part of the castle is now operating as a hotel/restaurant and the ruin adjacent easily doubles its’ size.
We had a walk around and settled on a lovely terrace for some lunch - the menu was very small and simple, but adequate.  We amused ourselves by watching the river traffic manoeuvring - the barges going upstream approaching the bend in the river, having to slow even more (being warned by three triangles) to wait for oncoming barges.  The river is not wide enough for them to turn.
On our return and after a siesta, it was time for the FIFA womens’ Football World Cup - USA v Netherlands and, of course, we have an interest in it!  Henk managed to get it on his Laptop and us on BBC.  For some reason, Henks’ German version was 2 minutes behind the British version - strange we thought!  However the result, of course, was disappointing for us all......never mind, it’s only a game!!  😬😬😬
We had to pay our dues - not to mention to pay for the two cases of wine we bought from a local supplier - as Richard, the harbourmaster, was now off duty and was not going to be around in the morning.  We have all loved the facilities and ambience of this lovely little port (called the Funboat Marina - very apt!) and are a bit sad to leave.  However, we have only one stop now before we arrive in Winningen, where we leave the boat for four weeks and return to England.
A quiet evening and some TV.

Saturday 6th July - Sankt Goar

At some stage, we want to go up the mountain (hill?) opposite us to the Burg Rheinfels - am guessing the view will be amazing!  But, as the weather is still warm today, we decided to leave it until tomorrow.  So, a lazy day, doing a few chores.
Crew has her new ropes to install - they are thicker than our old ones and therefore much heavier.  Having had no locks to deal with and indeed mooring mostly side on, the port fore and aft lines were replaced - the others can be done once underway again.
Henk went into town to buy milk but was unlucky in the small supermarket, so had to cross on the ferry again to be successful......expensive milk!!
We had our usual lunch and siesta and planned a quiet night in, so Crew prepared a bolognaise sauce to have later with tagliatelle.  TV Reception was pretty good, so after dinner, we watched another Vera and bed.

Friday 5th July - Sankt Goar

There was only a small supermarket in the town, so we decided to cross the Rhine on the ferry boat to go to a bigger one, for essential stores......beer and wine mostly!  There is a bit of a storage problem for us with the wine - we tend to go for wine boxes in France, as they take up less space than bottles but it seems not possible to find boxes in Germany, so we have an unstable pyramid of bottles in our drinks fridge!
The ferry was fascinating, sliding, crab wise across the strong current and needing no ropes to tie off, instead a kind of metal claw that clamped onto a notch, whereupon the boat slewed round to straighten up, allowing the cars and foot passengers to alight......brilliant!
The walk to the supermarket was a bit longer than Crew expected, due to the fact that a barrier that was down for the railway happened to be permanently closed, so we had to cross by means of an underpass.
We did the shopping, then found a cafe to have a cold beer, before getting the ferry back across for lunch.  We found a restaurant which seemed popular as we had to wait a few minutes for a table to be free.  The men had fish and Crew a beef carpaccio - all pretty good.  Then back to the boats for a siesta.
We thought we should patronise the friendly little clubhouse by having drinks there in the evening - we had all enjoyed the Riesling very much and had thought to ask where they bought it from.  We were told that the supplier was about 3 km away.  Thinking in the region of two cases, we asked whether they could be delivered here - always so obliging, our harbourmaster agreed.  A rough price of €7 was suggested, so we agreed and will wait, hopefully, for a delivery!
TV a bit patchy but we managed to watch Notting Hill for about the ninth time, and bed.

Thursday 4th July - Rudesheim to Sankt Goar

We left around 10.30 for an exciting cruise today.  Nothing but castles, attractive towns and vineyards  and a beautiful day to boot.  After about 5 km, we entered into a narrow part of the river, where we found the current running at 11 kph, giving us a top speed of around 22 kph - we certainly knew that we were cruising!  At peak times of flood, it can be 20 kph.....can’t Imagine it!!
As the skippers had to be very vigilant, with a fair amount of traffic around, it was Crews’ job to be the photographer through this spectacular scenery - not as easy a job as one would think, since standing straight was a bit of a challenge!
After around 24km, we came across the famous Loreley rocks (bigger than expected), where sailors were said to be lured onto the rocks by their murmuring - luckily, we didn’t hear it!
Another 3 km found the entrance to Sankt Goar marina.  As a commercial barge was coming up we had to go quite a bit past him to turn into the entrance.  As a result we discovered what it was like to go upstream - very slow!  It seemed to take an age to get into the protection of the harbour.
Sankt Goar is only a small marina but we were found two good places right outside the little clubhouse by a very helpful young man.
We settled in and asked about obtaining WiFi, which, eventually we did......hoorah!  Luckily, the clubhouse was open for food on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays - for once we have struck lucky as we plan to stay for four nights.
We had our usual lunch on board and decided to give it a try for dinner.
Skip chose a fairly odd combination of three eggs, chips, gherkins and salad, Henk had big prawns and salad (he asked for a small salad but it arrived huge, as usual) and Crew braved it by ordering a pork chop, which was also huge of course - everything is big in Germany in the food department!  Needless to say, only about half was consumed and the rest taken back to the fridge!
We had a couple of drinks on board, then retired to watch an episode of Vera on ITV3, which is our strongest channel, then bed.

32 km 1 3/4 hours

Wednesday 3rd July - Rudesheim

We planned to take a taxi into town late morning, as it was about 3 km away, so Henk called for a cab   and off we went, passing the Hindenberg bridge, which was partly destroyed at the end of the war to stop the advancing allied troops and prompting the idea for the film The Bridge at Remagen.  We were very fortunate in that Henk was here, not only two years ago, but also worked on the hotel boats almost fifty years ago.  So he knows Rudesheim pretty well and knew exactly where we should go - Drosselgasse, a narrow lane with lots of wine bars and restaurants (a lot of them with a musical offering), along with some touristy shops......right up our street!
We walked the length of the Drosselgasse and decided it was time for a reviving beer - the waiters were a bit pushy and tried to get us to order lunch but, as it was only 11.30, we declined and moved on.  After all, there were plenty to choose from!
We investigated a restaurant with a good menu but thought a little expensive, so moved on for a glass of wine and a look at the menu of another - we decided on the more expensive one and were not disappointed.  There was a band of four, playing various music......Abba when we arrived but also a lot of ‘oompah’ music.  They were all individually extremely good - the two highlights for Crew were the lovely voice of the singer, electric violin player and the woodwind man, who played the nose flute.  Have heard of such a thing but never seen it in the flesh, so to speak - fascinating!
We believe that the restaurant had the equivalent of coach parties in, on set meals......quite a lot of them, so the waiting staff were pretty busy.  However, the wait was worth it.  The food, when it arrived, was extremely good - Skip and Crew opting for guinea fowl and Henk, the calves liver.  All excellent and very surprisingly, Henk ate almost all of his large lunch!!
After shopping for post cards (to send the grandchildren), we called for a cab to take us back to the port.  We, technically had a 15/20 minute wait, so waited in a bar with a glass of wine, which we had to neck as the driver turned up early.  On the way back, there was some kind of emergency and we

had to join a stagnant queue......the driver found an alternative route though and we got back to the yacht club in one piece.  Needless to say, the fare was much more than the way there!
Rudesheim is an interesting city, with lots to do and see - it made a nice change for us to experience some of it.
A quiet afternoon and a lazy evening - weather still hot

Tuesday 2nd July - Schierstein to Rudesheim

As it was only a short run to Rudesheim, we didn’t leave until eleven o’clock.  It was a lovely run with not too much current or traffic and the scenery was improving by the minute.  We are now fast approaching the prettier part of the Rhine valley.
We arrived before 12.30 and were guided into two places right by the clubhouse by a very helpful man.  We got settled and then busied ourselves, trying to get WiFi.  After several attempts and him re-booting his equipment, we were successful.  Beers and lunch followed.
It had seemed very quiet in port but early evening, people started to amass on the terrace of the big barge that served as a clubhouse - there is a pattern here!  A barbecue was lit and about a dozen or so people, including children, had a very convivial time of it.  We just sat on the back deck, chatting and drinking for a couple of hours and then a film before bed.

20 km 1 1/4 hours

Monday 1st July - Schierstein

Last night, quite a wind got up and made us think that maybe a storm was brewing but it wasn’t forecast and indeed, it didn’t occur.  However this morning the result was that it was much cooler - relief at last!
Skip spent the morning cleaning the outside of Aphrodite, whilst Crew busied herself  putting a pennant up on the prow of the boat.  Skip then went shopping and Crew went up top to do things Internet-wise, as the WiFi only works on deck.
The restaurant in this marina is, strangely, a Greek restaurant, so we have decided to go Greek tonight.  The usual lunch and rest!
We met up on deck for an apero and made our way to the restaurant just after 7 o’clock.  We were surprised to find the place buzzing, with quite a few tables occupied on the upstairs terrace and a lot of rowers, etc. drinking below.
The men ordered a taramasalata each........mistake!  They were huge - one between three was more than enough!  The waitress kindly offered to put it in a container to take home and, indeed, kept it in the fridge until our departure.  Then they ordered lamb kebabs to follow....again huge!  Crew sensibly ordered lamb cutlets, which were delicious, although a bit more expensive.  In fact this restaurant was more expensive altogether than most of the ones we’ve been to so far, certainly in the wine department.  We ordered a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc at €21.50 which was not in stock, so the waiter offered us an alternative Greek white at €27.50.  We were very dubious, not having a great knowledge  of Greek wines but, in fact, it was very good.......quite a classy establishment!

A couple of episodes of Doc Martin and bed.

Sunday 30th June - Scheirstein

Today was to be the hottest so far, definitely touching 40c so we were well prepared for a hot one and  just performed the minimal of work.  The worst thing was the fact that there was no wind to speak of, leaving us all somewhat breathless.  We had to put the sun curtains up against the rays but, to an extent, they stop any breeze from getting through.  So we just sweltered!

Yesterday, the men had been to the butcher to buy meat for a barbecue tonight and came back with three good looking steaks.  Henk has a barbecue and very bravely offered to cook them for us, along with some sweet peppers and baby onions.

We had melon and ham for lunch, followed by a rest as much as possible - all feeling very hot and sticky!

We left dinner until as late as possible in the hope it would cool down a bit, which it did to a degree, so we very much enjoyed our steak dinner - the steaks were very good and beautifully cooked by our Dutch chef!!  We sat chatting for a while and then retired to bed, having cooled down quite a bit. However the cabin had not cooled down quite enough for Crew, so back up top for a while until sleep overtook her - two fans on all night!

Saturday 29th June - Schierstein

Another hot day forecast, so any chores have to be performed as early as possible!  Really, Aphrodite needs a good clean, inside and out but it’s just too hot for hard labour.  Crew put some washing on - some standards have to be kept up!!
The men went shopping as Crew had not had too good a night, being woken around 6 a.m. with some kind of sciatica attack - or just old age.....oooof!
The plan today was quiet and easy - some lunch on board and a lazy evening.  The temperature, at its’ highest was only just under 40c, so the plan was to try and keep as cool as possible......quite difficult on a boat!
So we all had a light lunch on deck and whiled away the afternoon with light tasks and siestas.
Crew had been very excited to get Channel 4 at our first mooring but, alas, it was not available here, so we watched an episode of Vera and bed.  Still very hot so the fan stayed on all night!