Oberwesel and more on the Rhine in Germany

This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 25-year-old bookmark and can proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).

Today’s travel notes

Me and the TC spent a few days in Wiesbaden, Germany, then drove up to Amsterdam in the Netherlands. We decided to spend a couple of hours driving along the Rhine before hitting the autobahn and high-tailing it to Amsterdam in time for a mid-afternoon meeting. That was the plan. It worked. Almost.

My impressions? The Rhine is an intriguing mix of industrial and picturesque, ancient and modern.

Recommended restaurant

Weinhaus Weiler, in Oberwesel on the Rhine. Excellent food in a beautifully decorated historic room. (Pictures below.)

The book I’m in

Poet’s Cottage, by Josephine Pennicott. A delightfully rambling tale of ghosts, heartbreaks and triumphs, set in rural Tasmania.

Travel tip

Sometimes, the scale and perspective given in a book of printed maps are the only way to find out where in the world your GPS has brought you.

The photos

Me in the Weinhaus Weiler restaurant, in Oberwesel on the Rhine.

We began our trip in Wiesbaden, then wended our way down to the industrious, industrial Rhine:

A street view in Ruedesheim am Rhein:

Crossing the river on a car ferry:

Ancient and modern in Oberwesel. Pigeons on one of the old towers scattered around the town…

… and a Dali clock just over the road:

The market square in Oberwesel. It was starting up when the TC took this photo More stalls arrived later:

The first picture in this post showed me inside the Weinhaus Weiler restaurant, in Oberwesel. Here’s a shot of the outside of the restaurant:

A street in Oberwesel:

We left the pretty town of Oberwesel and headed towards the motorway. Windmills, looming and futuristic, marked our passage from ancient to modern:

We had a deadline. We needed to be in Amsterdam by 5pm, so that the TC could mix cocktails for her colleagues. The autobahn offered a fast and easy ride. Then our GPS device took it upon itself to divert us into the German countryside, because it had detected a traffic jam ahead. Trustingly, we swung off the motorway into the unknown:

Did we find Amsterdam? Wait for my next post to find out!

That’s all for today, dudes.

Autumn in Wiesbaden, Germany

This is the blog of Mark Wordsworm, the travelling worm. I’m a 25-year-old bookmark and can proudly boast my own Hallmark serial number, 95 HBM 80-1. You’ll probably want to read all about me and my Travelling Companion (the TC).

Today’s travel notes

Me and the TC are in Wiesbaden, Germany, where she will be attending a conference for the next few days. We took advantage of some free time before the conference started, to see this spa town in its autumn colours.

My impressions? Quiet beauty and comfort.

Recommended café

L’Art Sucré, Am Römertor 7, Wiesbaden, for chocolate treats and other süßen Kleinigkeiten.

The book I’m in

The Rivers of London, by Ben Aaronovitch. Funny, full of action, with a touch of darkness and not a little magic.

Travel tip

Dress in layers for an autumnal Wiesbaden. It’s surprisingly warm during the day.

The photos

Me at Kochbrunnen in Wiesbaden, German. This is one of the spas in the town. You can actually drink the water, from a couple of spouts in the little pavilion visible in this photograph. The TC, cautious as she is, did not try it.

The Heidenmauer, a Roman wall built by the emperor Valentinian in 364 AD:

Some architecture that’s slightly newer: Der Eimer (The Bucket) seems squished and skew amongst the other buildings:

Autumn leaves on the walk towards the Nerobergbahn:

The Nerobergbahn is a water-powered funicular railway that takes you up the Neroberg hill in the middle of Wiesbaden. It was opened in 1888. Here is the Nerobergbahn carriage at its top station:

Before the carriage goes down the hill, its water tanks are filled with water to make sure it is heavier than the upward-bound carriage. It then pulls the other carriage up the hill on a steel cable. The water is discharged at the bottom of the hill, and pumped back up to the top.

The driver carefully monitors the water meter on the way down the hill:

Passing the other carriage:

A view of Wiesbaden from the top of the Neroberg:

That’s all for today, dudes.