A Ferry Nice Trip Across the River Rhine

There was another transportation strike on Friday the 21st of February, as the unions have yet to reach an agreement with the companies. If you want to read more about, check out my last blog post here. Due to the strike, classes were cancelled again and my friends and I decided to take advantage of this opportunity and explore the area. We decided to meet up in Mehlem and take a Ferry the nearby town of Königswinter, where we could explore the legendary Schloss Drachenburg and its ruins.

In order to meet up with my friends, I had to find a way to get to the rendezvous, as the most of the buses and trains weren’t running. I decided that the best and simplest way to get there was on foot, and found it was only a short 45 minute walk. The route I took was quite pleasant as I was able to walk a majority of it along the Rhine River Trail. It ended up being a beautiful day for a walk as there was a slight breeze and I could hear all the birds singing. I can not stress how whimsical my adventure to our meeting point was, because words can not do justice to how nice my quaint little walk was.

After we met up, we took a ferry across the River Rhine, it was a really cool experience. We got on a massive boat along with a bunch of cars and bicycles. The ferry had a retractable bridge to allow cars, bicycles, and pedestrians to safely board and exit the ferry. Even though it was a short ride and cost about 2 Euro, I still really enjoyed the experience.

We then walked up a large hill in the Naturpark Siebengebirge where we were able to explore the Schloss Drachenburg. It was called a castle, but it was built in the late 1800s, so it is more similar to a small mansion. It was really cool to learn the history and see all of the displays at SchlossDrachnburg. We were also able to see a lot of the surrounding areas, as it was a very clear day. We were unfortunately not able to see Köln, but apparently on some days, you would be able to see all the way to Köln. We then went to see the ruins of a much older fort that had been built in the 1100s. I thought it was really cool to see this and realize that it was in “walking distance” of my house.

The walk back home was almost even better than the walk there as it was a very satisfying conclusion to a great day. I also took a closer look at the Rhine River Trail on my walk back. It is split up into two different paths, as one is for bikes and the other is for pedestrians, and it allows for traffic to flow very efficiently. Both sections are paved and heavily traveled, as it offers scenic views of the River Rhine and it is generally a nice place to walk. It is a shame that we do not have many things like this in America, as I feel as though many people would greatly appreciate this. I think the closest thing I can compare this to is the Schuylkill River Trail behind Valley Forge Park, which is a path along the Schuylkill River that many people bike on, but it is not nearly as nice as the Rhine River Trail.

Overall I had a wonderful day, hanging out with my friends and exploring the area in which I live. It was also really great to be able to use the wonderful infrastructure in Germany. If you ever come to the Rhineland, be sure to check out the Rhine River Trail

-Owen B

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