Our Easter weekend was spent in Rüdesheim, a small town by the Rhine, well-known for its scenic views, history, and nice wine. From the window of our small hotel room, the Rhine hypnotizes as it gently moves and sparkles in the sun.
The weather was great and I was so happy. Ships, instead of ducks, passed by regularly, some carrying tourists, others cargo. We took one of these relaxing passenger ships to go to the foot of Germania, Germany’s kind-of-but-not-really version of Lady Liberty.
Officially known as the Niederwald monument, the grand statue was built by Wilhelm I after the Franco-Prussia war of 1870, when Germany was still winning wars. It marked the beginning of the German Empire.
The statue was so high up in the mountain that we chose the easy, more fun route of cable car to take us up there. A quick wander through the forest, where we bumped into a racing hare actually, and we were finally in the presence of Germania…
And about 300 other tourists enjoying the sun and breathtaking views of the Rhine and surrounding vineyards. It was almost okay, if not for the loud hard bass music that a group of men, probably students, played, on a Good Friday.
Markus enjoyed the wine of the region when we had lunch at a beautiful garden cafe in the Old Town called Cafe Seilbahn. It was filled with plants and the staff were so pleasant. It was the best food place we found in Rüdesheim. The commercial part of the Old Town is not incredibly big, but still.
All my favorite things were there: small shops, pretty lights, Fachwerkhäuser, parks, and plenty of Spring flowers.
Before we turned in for the night, we found Art Cafe and had its famous Baumstriezel – it was super! I imagine it is what happens when a humble doughnut moves up in life.
We were not sure how to eat it but the locals were quick to point out it is necessary to tear it. There are plenty of variations of Baumstriezel but I think the cinnamon sugar is the best, just like the man at the counter recommended. Markus told me it is a must that we figure out how to make it at home. I’m not sure how simple that is but we can try!
So, even if I do not drink wine, I could say I enjoyed our small trip to Rüdesheim. It oddly reminds me of Southeast Asia actually, with the river and the surrounding touristy area. But it was not as crazy and I am glad.
How was your Easter weekend?
Markus + Micah 
How beautiful! It seems like you had a lovely time! I have never been in Germany in spring but the way you describe it makes it seem so lovely! I’m glad you enjoyed these beautiful spring days 😊
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I guess Spring is the same in Belgium, too. If not evem prettier because of your tulip fields. Are they done blooming now? I am glad to know it is beautiful everywhere!
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I don’t know if the tulips are still in full bloom because I haven’t seen them yet, but maybe this weekend! 😊
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I hope you do see them!
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Nice places. I have been to Germany plenty of times, I have to come back
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Yes, I honestly want to explore the rest of Germany first before going on a rampage around Europe. There are so many Bundesländer that I am interested at. Which German city is your favorite?
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Heidelberg is the nicest one I have seen so far
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Aha! That is not too far from us actually. Would have to see it soon then.
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A lovely post to get us all in the mood for travel. Our Easter was VERY quiet except for a phone call from our family England telling us we were GREAT grandparents! 🎉🧨🎆🎇🎈🥰🥰
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That is the best phone call ever! Actually, I thought of you two weekends ago when I met Markus’ friend who worked in Ireland for a while. He said the region is worth a visit and have lots to offer travelers.
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Looks beautiful! I would love to visit Germany one day. It would give me a chance to practise the German I studied for 4 years in high school and have rarely used since.
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It was really nice – fresh air, wineyards everywhere, big river, birds singing. Why did you have to learn German?
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Ha ha. I didn’t have to learn German. I took it as an elective. It’s not broadly offered as a high school course in Canada, but the area I live in was originally settled by Germans so there’s a lot of German culture here. In fact, we are the home of one of the biggest Oktoberfest festivals outside of Germany. (https://www.oktoberfest.ca)
Anyway, when I was choosing my electives in high school, German was one of the only courses offered in the time slot I had available. I was already good in French, so I thought, why not? I ended up taking it for 4 years!
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That is a cool story! You know so many languages (including music)! The Germans settled there post-war or? I am becoming more interested in Canada but I worry it will be too cold for me. And thank youuuuu so much for your commitment to supporting the turtles! Thank you for the overwhelming support. I am out of words!
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It’s interesting history. German-speaking people arrived in this area in the early 1800s, before Canada was even Canada. Many of the original settlers were German-speaking Mennonites who came here from Pennsylvania seeking refuge from persecution because of their religious beliefs. (We still have a large old-order population here which is interesting to locals and tourists.) Immigrants from Germany soon followed. In fact, Kitchener used to be called Berlin but was renamed during the first World War.
Ha ha. It is cold here in winter but we’re in the most southern part of Canada so it’s not as cold as some other parts of the country—even I couldn’t live there. Our summers are hot, though.
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Thank you for the thoughtful comment, Michelle. I suppose migration is simply a part of being human, so much so that racism is just ridiculous. And point taken – South of Canada is good!
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Nice. You look cute together. But next time try sipping wine. You will love it and get used to its taste.
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Hahaha. Thank you. It is not really the taste but the smell that gets to me.
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Oh wow, you two – your sunny weekend looks fabulous. What a lovely time for both of you 😊
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Thank you, Sean. It was very pleasant, and like I said, Rüdesheim reminded me of Bangkok and the Mekong.
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I enjoyed every one of your beautiful photos. You had a lovely weekend.
We usually have people over for Easter dinner, but everyone was out of town this year. We spent the morning in church and relaxed while eating our ham dinner. It was a lovely day.
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Sounds like a relaxing Easter. Perhaps everyone went out this year because Covid is finally better. Are there any new flowers around you? I noticed more white and purple flowers on trees, the yellows on the ground are done, but there are more tulips.
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Tulips are blooming here. Our redbud trees are in full bloom now, and dogwoods have almost finished.
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I honestly don’t know how tulips are legal – they are so damn beautiful! My favorite ones are yellow. Yours?
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I like all tulips, but the pink ones are at the bottom of the list. I wish we had gone to the Netherlands in tulip season. There are lots of fantastic photos of them on the internet.
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We thought about visiting Hillegom, too! It looks very cool. Fortunately, there are many places near us that are bursting with tulips.
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It’s great that you’ve seen so many tulips.
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