Can you believe 2015 is almost over? And can you believe I am still talking about a trip I took in the Spring of 2014? Well, let me just say, it was an amazing trip and I still have quite a bit more to share about my Viking River Cruise through Europe. Specifically, down the Rhine River. You can read more about other places I visited already here.
Today I want to tell you about Oberwesel, a beautiful little village we sailed by on the Rhine. And you can see from their river bank sign, they are known for wine making. I love the little grapes on each end. And they are especially known for Rieslings.
When I last posted about my trip, we were leaving the Rhenish Massif and the famed Loreley Rocks. Here you can see the difference in topography with the massive rock cliffs in the distance (getting rained on no less) and the sloping hillsides that we were now encountering. And on the left, you can see some barges and a train speeding by. We had a on again off again love affair with rain this day. It came and went and at one point we even had a brief hailstorm while we were on the upper deck of our ship. Luckily it only lasted a few minutes and then the sun came out again.
All along the hillsides here we saw terraced vineyards. Some were old and some were new. These looked to be very old and not necessarily being used at the moment.
And then Oberwesel came into full view. This was the first little town along the Rhine were we saw a few modern structures, like the building on the lower right. It is a river control tower. And that sign is one of the traffic signs for the many ships and barges that travel along the Rhine. And Oberwesel had lots of churches and towers throughout the village.
These fortification towers are remnants of Oberwesel’s medieval past. At one time there were 21 such towers guarding this village. Today there are 16 that still remain, and they are in all kinds of different shapes and sizes.
Some have interesting little turrets on top. This one has some kind of metal thing protruding out of it. It almost looks like a weapon. I don’t think it is, but I have no clue what purpose it actually serves.
To the left of this tower you can see part of the original town wall, too. There are many sections of the wall that are still standing and there are sections that visitors can even walk along for stunning views of the Rhine.
And on this beautiful Spring day, there were a lot of tourists on the banks of the Rhine, enjoying us as we passed by, just like we were enjoying our view.
Some towers were short, like this one right by the train tracks.
You can see some square towers mixed in between the cute little vacation homes below the vineyards. Wine making is a big industry for Oberwesel and many of the towns along this section of the Rhine. The climate and soil produce a wonderful selection of German wine.
Here you can see more towers and parts of the fortification walls. One section of wall is down close to the river and the other is just below the treeline on the hill.
And the towers really are all different.
This was my favorite. It looks like someone may have converted it into a house. Can you imagine the view they have of the Rhine?
This tower is called the Haags Tower. Not sure why. It has a top floor encased in glass windows for a 360 degree view. And behind it is yet another style of tower with four little turrets on each of its corners.
There are also some lovely old half timber buildings by the river dock.
I bet the town center would be a great place to spend a day. Tourism is another industry that Oberwesel relies on. The town has several old churches and a castle as well.
You can see a camper here. We saw many of them along this section.
Here you can see how Oberwesel is tucked into a bend of the river. You can see several of its churches here.
And here you can see another church below Schoenburg Castle. I will show you more pictures of the churches and castles in a day or two.
Today I just wanted to share images of the lovely little village that is Oberwesel.
This is not a sponsored post. This is my experience from my trip with Viking River Cruises. Email me to find out how you can save $100 when you book your first cruise with Viking through their referral program.
Leave a Reply