Rüdesheim am Rhein

We visited Rüdesheim many, many times during our stay in Germany.  It's a really easy drive (just take A66 all the way).  Along the way you follow the Rhein, and on the opposite side you follow vinyards and huge houses/beautiful churches.  At one spot, there's even some kind of castle ruin.

I went the first time with Holly and Dale.  We were too early for the Christmans market, but we went to some of the shops.  They had a lot of cheap decorations and souvenirs  especialy wooden products.  Some of my favorite trinkets from Germany actually came from here (my German houses, my coffe cups and mugs).

We had the classic Rüdeshiemer kaffee, which I couldn't finish.  They bring out the indgredients on a tray, and make it in front of you.  It consists of: 3 cubes of sugar, the a shot of Ansbach, which they stir then light on fire.  They keep stirring as the flames jump out of the cup, then pour in the coffee.  They top it with a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle on chocolate shavings.

We also went to a Medieval torture museum there.  Perhaps most unnerving was not the actual instruments on display, but the fact that several of them are still used today in some countries.

We went later with Chris and Courtney.  We saw the Gandala that leads up to Niederwald and the denkmal, and an old castle that was converted into a vinyard.  We also got a great view of the Rhein from where we parked/walked.

I think we also brought about every visitor (Deb, Abby, Geoff) who came to see us to Rüdesheim, and we went with Jackie and Caiti as well.  It's just a picturesque little town on the Rhein.