Visiting the Mermaid of Lorelei
Driving along the picturesque winding road up the Rhine River is an unforgettable experience. River boats to your left, historic towns to your right and high above are several beautiful castles along the way.
Lorelei is a legendary mermaid who was brought to life in a ballad in 1801 by German author Clemens Brentano, then later adapted by Heinrich Heine’s poem, ‘Die Lorelei’. The story describes Lorelei as a siren sitting on the cliff looking over the Rhine, combing her golden hair while distracting the shipmen with her beauty and song and then causing the ships to crash on the rocks on this treacherous bend in the Rhine. Today, you can visit a statue of the mythical siren which is located at the end of a jetty, which makes for a very nice walk.
(Photo from Wikipedia)
Other famous sirens that Lorelei makes me think about are the sirens in the book The Odyssey by Homer, calling shipmen to crash into the rocks.
Or the modern twist on Homer’s Odyssey in the movie ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou?’.
This time my journey to discover Lorelei is not along the banks of the river, but rather high above looking down like a siren myself.
I’ve always visited Lorelei at her statue or just driving by on a scenic drive so this was all new to me and what a treat it was! On top of the Lorelei rock there is a lookout area with everything you could possible want for a great experience. They have telescopes and seats along the lookout for you to really take in all of its’ beauty.
There is also a rock carved into a chair, which I later realized its’ use and called it the ‘selfie-chair’.
Romantic couples that want to leave a piece of their love in Lorelei can bring a lock and attach it to the fence to symbolize their strong long-lasting love for each other.
The lookout allows you to get a perfect 180-degree view of the river and see the sharp bends the boats must overtake. During the time of the Lorelei myth, there was much more rock from the mountain sticking out in the river, which later was blasted away to make less of a sharp turn.
They view is spectacular and I really loved watching the boats going up and down the Rhine from such a height.
In the lookout area there is a restaurant that is open in the spring and summer. I will surely come back when the sun is shining and have lunch outside looking at the Rhine Valley.
Directly below the lookout point but on the other side of the river is a restaurant and gift shop that is popular for tour buses, but you can find some nice Lorelei mermaid memorabilia.
This area is great for hikes, they have an open area concert venue and also a summer toboggan!
I loved my day visiting the mermaid of Lorelei and I guess you can say this siren called me in with her captivating beauty!
Address:
Auf der Loreley
56348 Bornich
Author’s Profile: Gemma is a mom, a veteran and an Army civilian living in Wiesbaden, Germany. With New Jersey roots, she is enjoying her extended European vacation.
Discover Idstein from the top of the Witch Tower!
Idstein is a charming and remarkable old town that makes for a wonderful day trip! Also you have the opportunity to see the sites from the top of the Witch Tower (Hexenturm)!
I had a simple day planned, to get some coffee and walk around Idstein. However it turned into an adventure where, to my surprise, I actually swapped my car key for the key to the Witch Tower!
Idstein is a place that visitors quickly fall in love with because it is a fascinating and historic city. It was mentioned in documents for the first time in 1102 and the city was given charter in 1287! It is an incredible feeling to walk around and admire the half-timbered houses are from the 15th to the 18th century. The architecture is rich with colorful carvings and impeccable detail.
This adventure starts in the gardens right below the Witch Tower. Parking is available in the area or you can park at the Hexenturm car park. Above is the Idstein Castle and the Witch Tower. Located next to the tower is this sign with information on how to visit inside.
The tower sign tells you to go to the tourist office to get information about getting into the tower. I thought that someone would come open it for me or there would be a group going inside on a tour. To get there you must, walk around the corner into the courtyard of Idstein. Walking into the arched tunnel is such an enchanting experience and when you come out of the tunnel, it is one of my favorite views in Germany!
The tourist office is in the center square and it is a beautiful building!
The woman inside was very friendly and of course spoke English. I expressed that I would like to go inside of the tower and then she asked me for my car key as a deposit. I couldn’t believe the awesome old skeleton key she handed me in return for my boring Ford car key!! They ask you to lock yourself inside when you go in (GULP!) and to return in about 45 minutes.
So key in hand, off I went to the (mine, for 45 mins,) tower!
As I walked in, there were some people outside watching me and I felt pretty important with my big key. I stepped inside and then locked the door behind me. Yes that felt kinda creepy!
The stairs go up and lead to more stairs, with nice window views along the way.
Then you come to a tunnel and you are in the wide part on top of the tower.
Looking up!
Here is the final staircase so you can look out from top window of this 42 meter tower!
Beautiful Idstein from high above, all alone in (temporarily) my tower!
Time to head back to the office, walk back down the step and triple check that I locked the tower properly.
In the tourist office I learned a lot about the history of the Witch Tower. It was originally built as a watchtower for the city of Idstein. Between the years of 1449 to 1779 it was used to lookout for enemy strangers and also to alert the town of any fires in the area. The name "Hexenturm" emerged from locals only since the year 1900 because of the town’s history with witch hunts in the late 1600’s.
Almost 20 years before Salem, Massachusetts had their Salem witch trails, Idstein also experienced witchcraft accusations on their citizens. From 1676 and 1677, a total of 35 women and 8 men were accused of witchcraft and executed in Idstein. This is where the nickname of ‘Witches Tower’ comes from. There is a remembrance plaque for the victims of the witch hunts located below the tower.
All this tower climbing and witch hunt history has made me hungry and I need coffee. The best place to go is the Bäckerei Huth Café right in the center of the town next to the tourist office.
This bakery is so relaxing and welcoming! As an added bonus they have free WiFi and also a children’s play area. I might just stay here all day!
Across the street is a lovely shop, TrendHaus where you can find unique gifts and seasonal decorations.
You can even celebrate your achievement of walking up the Witch Tower by buying a miniature version of your own!
For a bigger hunger, in the same square there are several welcoming restaurants with amazing aromas wafting from inside!
Idstein a purely wonderful all year around! Surely do not miss their Christmas Market from only 4-6 Dec 15!
Also the very popular Idstein Jazz Festival is from 08-10 Jul 16!
About the author: Gemma is a mom, a veteran and an Army civilian living in Wiesbaden, Germany. With New Jersey roots, she is enjoying her extended European vacation.
Follow her at: https://www.facebook.com/AJerseyBroadAbroad/
6 Down and Dirty Tips on How to Book a Cheap Ryanair Flight
Being a thrifty traveler, I always price out different planes, trains and automobiles. So many of the times you just can’t beat the price of the Ryanair flight. If you are willing to give up a little comfort, then you will save! And to me, saving means more money for more trips!
What comforts are you losing?
You have to walk further to the terminal. But hey, this burns some of the calories that you are about to stuff yer face with on vacation.
You are not called into board the airplane in any order. Have you ever seen a Rugby Scrum?
The seats are harder than normal and they do not recline.
Don’t plan on sleeping unless you can sit through the attendants selling stuff the whole time. Scratch cards, food, duty free and little baggies of hard alcohol.
Nothing is for free. Here you will have to buy your peanuts and tomato juice.
You will walk up and down the attachable stairs to the plane. Also you will either have to walk on the tarmac to the plane or take the bus out to the plane. (Perhaps packed like sardines, but that is normal on those buses.)
The baggage crew throws you your bags from the belly of the plane and you have to scream, "Mine! Mine!" to catch the right one. (Okay that one was a joke people!)
Here are 6 tips how to book a cheap Ryanair flight:
1. Parking: To save money, come very early and park at the parking lot as far away as possible then use their shuttle bus to get to the terminal. The farther away the spot, the cheaper the parking costs.
2. Early Flights: Some flight are ungodly early and then when you add the 2 hours of being there before the flight it is now considered in the middle of the night to some. However these are normally really cheap! For example, out of the 3 flights that they have each day to London, the earliest one is the cheapest. Also to catch these flights and actually catch some zzz's before the flight you can stay right by the airport. Either stay at the airport directly at the terminal at B&B Hotel and roll out of bed into the check-in line. Know that the rooms are small, clean, very basic and the breakfast is expensive. Or you can stay right in town at a guest house and most let you leave your car there and they will drive you to the terminal in the morning. Bless their early waking hearts.
3. Fare Finder: The Fare Finder is a semi-new search option with Ryanair. A few years ago you had to manually check each variable of destinations and dates to find the cheapest flight. I am guessing due to the increasing amount of great flight searching websites like skyscanner, Ryanair had to step up their game. Here you can add your starting point and either chosen destination, or just check out whatever the cheapest flight is. When I had a free weekend, I use to just go to where the cheapest destination was. This is exciting because you really discover new places that you normally wouldn't have chosen.
4. Debit Card: Once you found your cheap flight and you click "book", there are still ways to save. First you receive a discount for selecting to use your debit card vs. your credit card. You save about 1 euro a person. It may not sound like a lot but it all will add up in the end, especially booking for a larger group.
5. Extras: These are options you do not need: Reserved Seats, Checked Baggage and SMS Flight Details. They may look interesting but you will be charged for it. You will be assigned a seat at the airport, so you do not need to reserve one. Pack all of your items into your 10 kilo carry-on and then print your information instead of receiving a SMS. Adding those extras would have made my 33,36 euro roundtrip flight to 95,85 euro. A 62,49 euro difference!
6. Follow the Rules: If you do not read the fine print you will be charged at the airport. Print out your boarding pass after you check-in from home! They will charge you for each page they print. Be there early! You cannot and will not be able to check into your flight any later than 40 mins before your flight is scheduled to take off. Even if it is delayed by an hour and you can see the people waiting on the other side.. you will not get on. Finally, you have to pack light. To save you from throwing away your stuff (seen it/done it) or missing your flight, please pack very light. Think of this Ryanair journey as the new way to 'backpack through Europe'!
To learn more about this airline that we love to hate and then still always fly with them, check out the book: Ryanair: How a Small Irish Airline Conquered Europe.
About the author: Gemma is a mom, a veteran and an Army civilian living in Wiesbaden, Germany. With New Jersey roots, she is enjoying her extended European vacation.
