Wining by the Rhine

Among the aspects of this job that I cherish the most, meeting friends and loved ones overseas is tops.

E and I met up in Frankfurt. I was rostered the flight and he had to attend a conference in Budapest. En route back to Singapore, he spent two nights in Frankfurt with me.

I wanted to show him where I frequent and we spent the first day going about town.

The next morning, we took a train to the west of Frankfurt. We were initially headed for Bacharach, but we missed the stop and got off at Oberwesel instead. Our mistake turned out to be a good one. We spent the rest of our day exploring this cobblestoned medieval town on foot.

Our journey from Frankfurt took us two hours, with one transit stop in Mainz, at only €37 for two (this special weekend ticket is valid for travel anywhere within Germany for up to five people).



Our stop in Mainz was about half an hour so we took a quick walk around the train station. As with most main stations, it is surrounded by kebab shops, budget accommodation and some red-light activity.



Oberwesel is a town situated on the hilly banks of the Rhine River. Cycling along the river seemed to the most popular activity on weekends with many families out on their bikes.



The streets in town are narrow, giving Oberwesel a very cosy feel. After walking around the town for a bit, we decided to get a better view of the Rhine Valley and walked up a road leading to a few vineyards. Absolutely refreshing.



As tea plantations are in Cameron Highlands, Oberwesels steep hills are also covered with vineyards. We were amazed at how some of the vines were planted on 45 degree slopes. How do they harvest them?!



Not far from the main station is the Schönburg, a castle that currently houses two hotels and a small chapel.



It took us an hour to walk up the winding road to the castle, but it was worth it. Our sweat and losing part of the sole of my right shoe was rewarded by the serene view of the Oberwesel and a lovely glass of local wine and German apple pie.




We would have stayed to soak it all in more if we didn't an appointment with the train. Nonetheless, glad to have made a new discovery from a old destination.