Written by Jordan Bunger
Participant New Europe Program Fall 2010
Oh du wunderschöne Loreley - New Europe Students to Explore the Upper Middle Rhine Valley
An early morning bus from Bonn to Bacharach. Heads start to drop into the cushion of the seat. 2 hours later, 30 minutes from Bacharach, heads begin to move upwards and eyes make their way out the window as we entered the rural country leading into the Rhine. Casually epic roads led us through the mountains to the river. The bus, a 50 person charter, was forced to make its way down these winding roads, the driver 100% confident of his skill set, nonchalantly leads us safely through the narrow route, comfortability that only comes with years of experience.
Our stay in Bacharach was peaceful. No hustle and bustle of city life, solitary individuals finding refuge in an old fashioned port town. Our time spent here was brief, only 45 minutes, but everyone experienced an unexpected sense of comfortability within its boundaries. From the Bacharach port, we all boarded the cruise ship, heading north towards Braubach. The scenery along the Rhine was beautiful, everyone occasionally looking up from conversation to appreciate the surroundings, realizing how lucky we were to be there at that particular moment.
We passed well nigh 10 castles, strategically perched on the hillsides overlooking the Rhine, each keeping a close eye on its respective port town, and a statue commemorating the tale of a beautiful singing woman named Loreley, who captured the imagination of shipmen, causing them to crash into the nearby cliff sides. Just past the Loreley, we made a stop to pick up a forgotten passenger, a poor man who missed the morning bus.
From there, we made our way to Braubach. Desperate for nutrition, we were guided by the lead of Viktoria and Arno to a local restaurant five minutes walk from the water, Braubacher Marktstuben. The food was great, with a selection of either Jagerschnitzel, pasta, or an entre sized salad. Once the food arrived in front of our eyes, silence immediately took hold of the room. After lunch, we were led on a mission up the hill to the Marksburg castle where we were given a guided tour and taught about everything from the evolution of armory to ancient methods of law and order.
On the bus ride home, only 8 hours after departing from Bonn, conversation was at a standstill as all 44 students were either asleep or in the process of nodding off. While a tiresome day trip, every single review was one of exceeding approval and the memories will remain alive in the countless pictures taken by all participants.
