Stillwater Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 Aachen gives us an unspectacular start to a classical touristic tour, which is oftenly done by ship. But it is far better done by train and bike - or by plane. A Cessna 337 is safe and fast enough - and even able to start in Merzbruck on its 518 m runway. Weisweilers coal power plant ahead. On the western side of the Rhine you can see the huge Wesseling refinery - but there are many other industrial zones around. The one on the left might be Chemical parc Knapsack. Approaching Bonn. I am sure you all know this has been Germanys capital from 1949 to 1990. We have the Münster and the university below us, Schloß Poppelsdorf to the right. Ahead you can see the Post tower and the Langer Eugen. Formerly this building contained the offices of the parliament delegates, since 2002 used by the United Nations. Bonn in the background, but in the right part of the picture you see the first castle: Drachenfels. Please someone tell me why it has this name "dragon rock". We follow the Rhine southwards. NPP Mülheim-Klärlich. So much coal and water around, why do you need to put a safety risk in the middle of this area? Flying over Koblenz, where the Mosel (below) meets the Rhine at the Deutsches Eck. Look at the river and these bridges - thank you orbx for making my country so detailed. The southern part of Koblenz, where we join the Rhine again. Castles, castles, castles. Lahnstein to the left, Stolzenfels to the right. And in the background we see the Marksburg. The winery hills of Boppard in the background, and the ruins of Liebenstein and Sterrenberg below. Burg Maus (mouse), ... ... Castle Rheinfels, ... ... and Burg Katz (cat) within short distance. You can also see the old, touristic train route on the western shore. Book it when you´re there! Another series of castles to follow, like Reichenstein and Rheinstein... ... before we come to the corner at Bingen. With castle Ehrenfels, castle and churches of Bingen itself. And the famous Mäuseturm (mouse tower), which indicates the Binger Loch, a dangerous shallow area of the river. The name of the tower is based on an ancient legend: - HISTORY LESSON - The story of how it came to be called the "Mouse Tower" comes from a folk tale. According to this popular, but unsubstantiated, legend, Hatto II was a cruel ruler who oppressed and exploited the peasants in his domain. He used the tower as a platform for archers and crossbowmen and demanded tribute from passing ships, firing on their crews if they did not comply. During a famine in 974 the poor had run out of food, but Hatto, having all the grain stored up in his barns, used his monopoly to sell it at such high prices that most could not afford it. The peasants became angry and were planning to rebel, so Hatto devised a cruel trick. He promised to feed the hungry people and told them to go to an empty barn and wait for him to come with food. The peasants were overjoyed and praised Hatto heartily. They made their way to the barn to await his coming. When he arrived with his servants, he ordered the barn's doors shut and locked, then set the barn on fire and burned the peasants to death, derisively commenting on their death cries with the words "Hear the mice squeak!" (This quote exists in several slight variations.) When Hatto returned to his castle, he was immediately besieged by an army of mice. He fled the swarm and took a boat across the river to his tower, hoping that the mice could not swim. The mice followed, pouring into the river in their thousands. Many drowned, but even more reached the island, where they ate through the tower's doors and crawled up to the top floor, where they found Hatto and ate him alive. They have whetted their teeth against the stones, And now they pick the bishop’s bones; They gnawed the flesh from every limb, For they were sent to punish him![1] The "Mouse Tower" story about a cruel overlord has been told about numerous rulers, this being the most famous version, although there is no historic evidence for it. The story's reference to Hatto's demand for tribute or a toll ("Maut" in German) of passing ships from the tower, as well as its later use as a customs collection tower, provide a suggested etymological origin for its name, with "Mautturm" (toll tower) eventually becoming "Mäuseturm". In addition to being immortalized in the above poem by Robert Southey, an allusion to this tale can be found in "The Children's Hour" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: They almost devour me with kisses, Their arms about me entwine, Till I think of the Bishop of Bingen In his Mouse Tower on the Rhine![2] - END OF HISTORY LESSON - The wine hills above Rüdesheim. Germany makes 45 % of the worlds Riesling, and the warm summer of 2018 will be a sensation https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riesling . Ingelheim with the Boehringer plant to the left... ... and finally Mainz-Finthen. Nicely upgraded in GES. Let me see if I find a wine bar nearby... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VH-KDK Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 Splendid set Gerold and a highly immersive flight. Many thanks for the excellent commentary and history lesson. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dolf8857 Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 Real nice shots Gerold! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stillwater Posted August 19, 2018 Author Share Posted August 19, 2018 2 hours ago, VH-KDK said: Splendid set Gerold and a highly immersive flight. Many thanks for the excellent commentary and history lesson. Thanks Martyn. I was so fascinated while writing this post it took me nearly as long as the flight... 1 hour ago, dolf8857 said: Real nice shots Gerold! Thank you Dolf! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Sawyer Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 Exquisite shots Gerold and I loved your history lesson as I've never heard of this, quite fascinating! I would love to visit that wine country, it looks very beautiful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMBIII Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 An excellent and very well narrated flight, along with great visuals ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BradB Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 Gerold your post's are like fine wine , they get better with age . I really enjoyed the tour and the history lesson , have a great week my friend . Cheers John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gregmorin Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 Very nice shots and tour! Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wakashi Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 Holy mackerel, you put some thought, research, and time into this post Gerold! Excellent information to be gleaned from the post plus the visuals! I especially liked the “history lesson” portion of the post! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taph Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 Grand post, really enjoyed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stillwater Posted August 19, 2018 Author Share Posted August 19, 2018 4 hours ago, Jack Sawyer said: Exquisite shots Gerold and I loved your history lesson as I've never heard of this, quite fascinating! I would love to visit that wine country, it looks very beautiful. Thank you Jack, and did I tell you the local wine is much cheaper if you drink it directly down there ? 3 hours ago, JMBIII said: An excellent and very well narrated flight, along with great visuals ! Thanks JMB! 3 hours ago, BradB said: Gerold your post's are like fine wine , they get better with age . I really enjoyed the tour and the history lesson , have a great week my friend . Cheers John Thanks for the compliments, John. Everything has its age, sometimes you may even drink it younger! Have a great week yourself, mate! 3 hours ago, gregmorin said: Very nice shots and tour! Greg You´re welcome, Greg! 1 hour ago, Wakashi said: Holy mackerel, you put some thought, research, and time into this post Gerold! Excellent information to be gleaned from the post plus the visuals! I especially liked the “history lesson” portion of the post! Thanks, Roger, and you are right: It took me some time to compose the information. But orbx leads us to learn about the world, be it far from or close to our homes. 1 hour ago, Taph said: Grand post, really enjoyed Thank you Taph! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack Sawyer Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 14 minutes ago, Stillwater said: Thank you Jack, and did I tell you the local wine is much cheaper if you drink it directly down there ? Didn’t know that, would live to try it. When I was there I had some great German beer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlosqr Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 Very nice pictures/story and a funny coincidence I saw a video this morning in facebook about this cassle: Neuschwanstein It's so darn nice that I am about to depart Innsbruck and head northwest to Germany in search of it In Google this arera looks incredible nice, hope to find a nice replica. Wonder if the cassle has been createad Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlosqr Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 HI Stillwater I found it !! Neuschwanstein castle I couldn't believe my eyes. LONG LIVE ORBX! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lifejogger Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 Great post Gerold!!!!!!! The shots were super and your running commentary was very interesting!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodger Pettichord Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 Interesting flight and even more interesting history lesson. Nice job. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stillwater Posted August 19, 2018 Author Share Posted August 19, 2018 3 hours ago, Jack Sawyer said: Didn’t know that, would live to try it. When I was there I had some great German beer. Next time Jack, next time. Life needs targets! 1 hour ago, carlosqr said: Very nice pictures/story and a funny coincidence I saw a video this morning in facebook about this cassle: Neuschwanstein It's so darn nice that I am about to depart Innsbruck and head northwest to Germany in search of it In Google this arera looks incredible nice, hope to find a nice replica. Wonder if the cassle has been createad Cheers I have not been there yet, Carlos. But my colleagues have told me it exists. At least its history is totally different to those that have been built to suppress free trade and travel, like the above. 2 minutes ago, lifejogger said: Great post Gerold!!!!!!! The shots were super and your running commentary was very interesting!!!!!!!! Thank you John. Glad you liked it! 1 minute ago, Rodger Pettichord said: Interesting flight and even more interesting history lesson. Nice job. Thanks! Thanks Roger. It was also a lesson to me...! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlosqr Posted August 19, 2018 Share Posted August 19, 2018 1 minute ago, Stillwater said: 1 hour ago, carlosqr said: Very nice pictures/story and a funny coincidence I saw a video this morning in facebook about this cassle: Neuschwanstein It's so darn nice that I am about to depart Innsbruck and head northwest to Germany in search of it In Google this arera looks incredible nice, hope to find a nice replica. Wonder if the cassle has been createad Cheers I have not been there yet, Carlos. But my colleagues have told me it exists. At least its history is totally different to those that have been built to suppress free trade and travel, like the above. Hi Stillwater Noted Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adambar Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 Excellent shots and history lesson Gerold, well done! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulb Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 Splendid post Gerold! Thanks for the narrative . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jean marc Posted August 20, 2018 Share Posted August 20, 2018 very nice tour Gerold ... and happy to discover the story of the mouse tower Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stillwater Posted August 20, 2018 Author Share Posted August 20, 2018 14 hours ago, adambar said: Excellent shots and history lesson Gerold, well done! Thank you for commenting, Adam! 11 hours ago, paulb said: Splendid post Gerold! Thanks for the narrative . I am happy you liked it, paul. 6 hours ago, jean marc said: very nice tour Gerold ... and happy to discover the story of the mouse tower Merci bien, Jean Marc. Sometimes the facts on wikipedia are not sure, but the tale sounds good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Lars Posted August 21, 2018 Share Posted August 21, 2018 Another leg of your wonderful tour along the Rhine. A wonder that you recognized all those castles. Thanks for the story that I had never heard before. On 8/19/2018 at 11:56 PM, Stillwater said: At least its history is totally different to those that have been built to suppress free trade and travel, like the above. It is the nineteenth century medieval fantasy of a sad, sad soul. On 8/19/2018 at 11:34 PM, carlosqr said: I found it !! Neuschwanstein castle I couldn't believe my eyes. I actually remember I went up there with my grandparents in a horsecart when I was a kid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olderndirt Posted August 21, 2018 Share Posted August 21, 2018 Your stuff always gets me Googling - "Several legends surround the Drachenfels, most famously that Siegfried – the hero of the Nibelungenlied – killed the dragon Fafnir, who lived in a cave in the hill, then bathed in its blood to become invulnerable. Hence, the hill is named the "Dragon's Rock", Drachenfels". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stillwater Posted August 21, 2018 Author Share Posted August 21, 2018 14 hours ago, Captain Lars said: Another leg of your wonderful tour along the Rhine. A wonder that you recognized all those castles. Thanks for the story that I had never heard before. It is the nineteenth century medieval fantasy of a sad, sad soul. I actually remember I went up there with my grandparents in a horsecart when I was a kid. Thanks Lars. Plan-G was my tool to sort all these castles out of the kmz-file. Let´s come back to your childhood memories when I am virtually down to Füssen! 13 hours ago, olderndirt said: Your stuff always gets me Googling - "Several legends surround the Drachenfels, most famously that Siegfried – the hero of the Nibelungenlied – killed the dragon Fafnir, who lived in a cave in the hill, then bathed in its blood to become invulnerable. Hence, the hill is named the "Dragon's Rock", Drachenfels". Ah, that is the place! Thank you for adding the story to this post! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
macca22au Posted August 22, 2018 Share Posted August 22, 2018 Very good informative series and very erudite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stillwater Posted August 22, 2018 Author Share Posted August 22, 2018 14 hours ago, macca22au said: Very good informative series and very erudite. You´re welcome Ian. I´ll try to continue... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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