2022 September: Stranded On The Rhein!

Life is always exciting when you travel by boat. Just when you think you have it all together, nature decides otherwise! We had just replaced all our batteries, as I shared last month, and now our well-planned trip down the Rhein had its problems. Let’s start at the beginning. We left our harbor in Kehl with some concerns. My meticulous engineer husband researched our path and deemed we were good to go. Little did we know…

Our first day consisted of five hours of driving in 35 C heat! We landed in Iffezheim and tied up above the lock. 

Hey, new Dodds teachers, maybe your household goods might arrive soon! The views were amazing and so peaceful. Plus, we had great entertainment watching the tour boats and fraters coming in and out of the lock at all hours.

The evening was just delightful and included a gorgeous sunset!

Breakfast special! Leftover gluten-free noodles with ham and fried eggs on top. We don’t waste a thing on the boat. My fridge is the size of a small washing machine, so thinking ahead is my forte! Plus, this was a first and will be one of our new breakfasts for sure!

The next day I would like to forget. We landed somewhere near Karlsruhe in a dumpy harbor. It was still hot as heck, 38 C (about 98 F), and since I’m the captain and Lutz the admiral, I drove for six hours in the sun and ended up with heat stroke. With all my years in the sun, I’ve never experienced this before, and thank the lord we had electricity. I laid under the fan, and Lutz put wet towels on my head and neck. From that day on, we shared the driving and switched off after an hour. I was feeling much better!

With temperatures ranging from 30-39 C and driving distances ranging from three to 6 hours, we were glad to be moving in the slight breeze. Speyer was our next stop along the way. We had a great spot, refilled the fridge and water tank, and relaxed in the shade of the modern apartments that blocked the sun. 

The following day we left for Gernsheim. We met up with a tremendous Swiss couple with a similar boat. We shared the evening swapping boat tales and enjoying the sunset. The next morning we set out together, and just before reentering the Rhein from the harbor, they suddenly stopped. They had lost their shifting capacity and only had reverse! However we offered to stay and help, but most boaters don’t expect you to stop and delay your tour. They sent us on our way. More to come about their saga and ours! But, little did we know what lay ahead for us.

Back on the Rhein the next day, we took a detour onto the Main River toward Frankfurt. It just so happened that the entire city was having a long weekend fest! Not an inviting spot for overnight guests. Plus, there was no landing unless you contacted the city for a registered site. Just as well, it wasn’t our cup of tea.

We were able to pass the party and found a super spot to tie up and enjoy the Main River away from the maddening crowd!

It was so great to be able to have one of my favorite people in the world come to visit for a day. I’ve known Marilou for twenty-two years and her daughter Alliyah since birth. Allyah’s new step-brother, her present male “friend,” and Leo, their dog, also came to visit.

It was beautiful seeing them all and catching up. Marilou is like a daughter to me. Of course, a feast was in order, fresh fish on the grill. Marilou is the tiniest person in the world, and I am always amazed at how much she can fit in that little body of hers, yes a whole fish, salad, potatoes, and seconds!

Another one of my favorite people came to visit for the day, Iwona. Such a great person to have in your life. Plus, being beautiful on the outside and inside makes her very special.

We even watched the famous Bembelboot serve their homemade Apple Wine right in front. Great entertainment, and Lutz said the wine was pretty good.

We left Offenbach and headed on the Main toward Aschaffenburg. We passed Seligenstadt along the way. This town is where Lutz lived years ago, working for GKN, an automotive company. Great memories, and his penthouse was still there with the incredible views.

It was great to visit his old friends, Kalli and Christine,

and Albrecht and Bergit.

After visiting old friends, we stocked the boat in Aschaffenburg and waited patiently for Philipp and his family (Lutz’s oldest son) to arrive from Munich. We were looking forward to their visit and spending time with the grandkids. It was such a great time, and the boys grew like weeds. It was so fun to cook their favorite french fries! It was a long drive for them but so appreciated. I loved chatting with the boys in German. Both helped me with my German! We took them on a short tour to a neighboring harbor, Elensbach, and spent the night. The next day we headed back to Aschaffenburg. A round of mini golf for the kids was in order and ended with a delicious farewell meal at a nearby Greek restaurant. 

It was in this same harbor we heard some great news! First, our Swiss friends showed up and shared a drink, and, worst of all, the cost of repairs! They finally got their gears working and made it this far. Plus, that evening, we met up with another couple with a similar boat and headed our way back to the Rhein. Peter and Dagmar joined us the following day as we pulled in the ropes and rode down the Main to the Rhein and our morning lock. We cruised back to Offenbach, hoping to moor at our last great spot where we enjoyed visiting Marilou, but a tanker took it, and we ended up tying up next to the city parking lot on the river. Good lord. I have to say I now know all the top ten German, Turkish, and Asian rap songs. It seems it is a late-night party spot. No problem, we were up bright and early to start our day. It’s’ great traveling with friends. They get to take pictures of our boat while we are traveling and vis-verse.

After much analysis by Peter and Lutz, we had planned to stay two nights and then get on our way. The Rhein was getting lower each day, and the possibility of cutting our trip short and having to leave our boats and head home was not what we had in mind. Slowly, we made our way to Bingen. The harbor in Bingen was perfect for restocking and listening to the coastguard make announcements over the boat radio regarding the depth of the Rhein. In the picture below (click and enlarge it), you can see our boat in the background on the left and our friends in the middle. Check the Rhein to the left of the harbor mound. The water around the trees is so low the sand shows. The next day all those white docks on the Rhein were full and stacked side by side.

On the second day, we got up and decided to make a run for it. When we entered the Rhein from the harbor, the police boat came and insisted we turn around. So back to the port we went. With portions of the Rhein as low as 1.5 meters, we were not comfortable risking our boat’s lives or ours. Come to find out, there were several tankers stranded as we were, and apparently, the Rhein was closed due to a tanker that ran aground. So for the next four days, we were stranded in Bingen and other tankers. We decided to make the best of it and headed to Rüdesheim for a day of touring. We counted eleven tankers stranded on the docks on our way back to the harbor. Funny, we saw only two other motor boats like ours while traveling the Rhein. Hum, maybe they knew something we didn’t.

The day ended rather quickly since it was overflowing with so many people. Our restful boats awaited, and Peter and Lutz had more research to be done. Lutz and I took our bikes to visit his two cousins nearby, Lousia and Uschi. We ate in the town’s oldest Stube  (local bar) and chatted away old memories.

Later we took the train to Andernach while Peter and Dagmar visited with their family. Peter’s daughter, Elfi, her husband Derk, and their two brilliant daughters, Mia and Ella, arrived and joined us on the next leg of our tour. In Andernach, we met up with another set of cousins, Ellie and her daughter Ruth. It’s an hour’s train ride north of Bingen. This family is very special to Lutz. They are shippers, and Lutz has fond memories of spending summers with them and their children on their ship.

After ice cream and a walk along the Rhein, we were ready for a meal. Ellie’s daughter owns a restaurant, Weinhaus Merowingerhof, in town that is fabulous, seriously. This pub is one of the oldest in the city. In the past, it was a popular spot where shippers met to enjoy a good meal and discuss their routes. This establishment is a real piece of history and has a definitely updated menu.

Ruth knows her wines. All I had to say was fruity, light, white, and smells like earth…bam, there it was. I had the best meal, pork with gorgonzola sauce. Lutz was in heaven, liver over a bed of herby mashed potatoes smothered in a sauce.

I’ve shared it this month in my resource, so check it out. It is worth visiting if you’re on tour in Germany or taking a weekend drive. I recommend a reservation. It’s very well-known among the locals.

Finally, after our intended two-day stay, which turned into a five-day waiting visit, the Black Forest’s rain provided a half meter to the water. Officials had also freed the tanker from the sand. So with much care and slowly following large tanks down the deepest path of the Rhein, we headed toward Koblenz to eventually enter the Mosel.

It was great having Peter and Dagmar along. Both Peter and Lutz hit it off. They are both technical and analytical, so they calculated the trip to the minute. However, no one ever plans for mother nature to interfere! Along the way to Bingen, we passed the Loreley.

And saw terrific, glorious castles along the way.

The Kaub was elegant against the hills.

This ride down the Rhein has been a lifelong dream of Lutz. He comes from a long line of shippers, so to see the river he traveled as a boy was a dream come true. Plus, he got a quick peek at his mother’s old home.

To celebrate making it through the most dangerous portion of the Rhein, we shared dinner at the harbor restaurant on the Lahn. They had a super menu. I was so tempted to order their goat cheese hamburger, but it was not gluten-free bread. Elfie, Peter’s daughter, ordered it for me and said it was amazingly delicious. Now to figure this out using gluten-free homemade rolls! I settled for a yummy caesar salad instead!

After driving down the Rhein and getting excited about turning onto the Mosel, we landed in Winningen harbor outside of Koblenz.

We had made the turning point to safer waters levels on the Mosel. It was a lovely harbor, and we could relax and enjoy the cooling weather. In this harbor, we said “see you later” to Peter’s family, who headed home for appointments. Our boat is Virus, and Peter and Dagmar’s boat is Black Pearl. We made a great team heading out the following day to Zell. We found the best anchor spots on the Mosel.

The following day we waved goodbye to Black Pearl. It was not the end of our travels with Black Pearl. We had planned to meet up in Schweich to continue but little did we know what awaited us when we met up in two days in Schweich. In the meantime, we moved slowly and anchored in Traben-Trarbach. We arranged to meet our good friends from Kaiserslautern, Annalise, and Markus, for a meal in the area.

The next morning we explored the city of Traben-Trarbach. It was a great little town, but the next stop made me look in awe and wonder why we had never visited this quaint town previously!

The Bernkastel-Kues is the most wonderful town I’ve seen so far. I was impressed. Quite busy during the day but by 5:00 PM, things were settling down. It is one of the oldest cities on the Mosel. Plus, there is a super spa on the hill that Dagmar had previously visited. I think a girl’s weekend is in the making. Anyone?

It was an exciting stroll through the twisty streets to see the old homes and businesses in excellent traditional condition.

I love this shot. Historically, people were taxed according to the size of their foundations. So they would make the bottom of their house small and widen it as they built higher! Sounds good to me.

What would be a tour on the Mosel if you didn’t stop at a winery? We hooked up at Leiwen at the city slip below Bender Winery. We took our shopping stroller and hiked to the winery at the top of the city. With a full cart and a great visit, we headed back to the boat for a sample. Bender Winery is a great place to visit; they are so knowledgeable. We met them two years ago, so it was nice to catch up.

We were looking forward to reconnecting with Peter and Dagmar in Schweich to travel back to Kehl on the Mosel toward the Saur River through France. But little did we know what was ahead. As I said, living on a boat is an adventure with unexpected challenges. Turning into the harbor at Schweich, they greeted us both, and luckily there was a slip just for us next to them. Perfect spot. However, not with happy smiles. For the past few nights, Peter and Dagmar slept over water. Not just on the river, but it was under their bed. They were alerted by their dog Honey. She always slept between their beds and, for the past four nights, refused and slept in the gally. Something was wrong. We arrived just when the boat mechanics arrived and announced the bad news. The repair for his boat would call for taking it out of the water and no set time when they would be able to get to it. While we waited for news about our friend’s repair, we had the opportunity to eat lunch with Volker (Lutz’s sisters’ husband’s brother) and his wife, Gretel.

So with a sad heart, we watched Dagmar and Peter pack their things to head home. Instead of arriving for their end-of-the-season family boat trip, Derk and Elfie arrived with a trailer to haul them back to Kehl. So it looks like we are on our next month, unless, who knows, what will follow! Keep your eyes peeled for next October’s post!

Fave Recipes:

Fresh Strawberry Pie with Chocolate Coconut Crust. A must-have before winter hits!

Fave Resource:

The Weinhaus Merowingerhof will not disappoint. This jewel is just waiting to be found by you! This restaurant on the Rhein is the best find on “this side of the pond.” Check out this month’s resource to learn more.