Wine on the upper deck

Good thing Jane had set the alarm, because its 7 am rattle awakened us both.  We wanted to shower and eat before our morning tours.  I was going to Marksburg castle and Jane was taking the cable car up to Ehrenbreitstein--to view the Deutsches Eck (German corner) where the Mosel and the Rhein meet.   Marksburg Castle is the only one on the entire Rhein to be unharmed by warring groups--including WWII.  It's first mentioned in the 13th century and has become the property of the families of the Counts of Eppstein and Katzenelnbogen and the Landgraves of Hessen. The scenery was lovely--leaves on the cusp of turning vivid colors, and the smell of fall was heavenly.

   This castle gives one a great idea of what life was like then--primitive, challenging, always open to attack.   

  

 Most got a kick out of the toilet (which emptied outside into the moat).  The potty was located directly opposite the dining room or "discussion" table, and the door was left open if one on the pot could continue contributing to the discussion topic!

  Life with servants here might've been bearable, but life as a solider?  Well, when I saw the various uniforms or armor  they wore, I was glad Jane wasn't with me, for I could just see her donnning one of the outfits and parading around--especially the colorful ones.

     They cooked, naturally, over open fires and enjoyed games and even dancing.  One thing I found interesting  was the idea of "shaming mask." If one was caught  spying,  one  wore a mask  with large ears.  If you were caught lying, you wore a mask that had a large ball in your mouth.

When we get Jane's photos from Ehrenbreitstein downloaded, I'll add those. 

After lunch back onboard, we found a table on the upper deck to enjoy the "romantic" part of the Rhein.  Fun to eat and sip wine while passing vineyards where we saw people picking grapes.