We slept in until almost 7:30. Very unusual and much needed. Also solved the problem of dealing without coffee since breakfast isn’t ready until 8am.

A simple buffet above, with a little booth by a window below.

After breakfast I was still super tired so we went back to the room. I laid down on the couch in the library and Ash made some airline calls in the bedroom.

We finally got moving around 11am. The exterior protective wall of the castle. With a bridge over a moat that is now gardens.

To the left of the bridge is a path we were going to take to the road, then walk to Bacharach about 4 miles away. But we realized at that time of day we would be in full sun the whole way with no shade.

So we went with another option we had discussed which was just use the car all day and see more. Not as many steps but perhaps a better use of our time. So back we went to get the car.

Bacharach is one of several towns in the area that were built back in the 1300s with walls all around them. Their main entrances are marked by gates that were guarded, like the one below.

It’s a little town of about 2000 people that is known for its medieval look, as seen above and below.

We stayed long enough to buy a few things from a cute kitchen store.

Cute exterior window dressing.

We returned to the car and headed to Koblenz, a much bigger city with about 115k people 30 minutes up the river.

We stopped once for coffee and a snack.

And snapped photos of castles along the way.

This is Stolzenfels Castle on the edge of Koblenz. This was my very first castle tour my first time in Europe- or anywhere outside the US for that matter – in 2013.

We parked at Deutches Eck which is where the Rhine River meets the Mosel. This confluence of rivers gave Koblenz its name. There is a fortress on the hill above this strategic position.

St. Kastor. Originated in 836. Yes I mean the year. This structure was built around 1150 in the Romanesque style before Gothic became all the rage. Pretty simple in comparison but I like it a lot.

Koblenz has been around a while. This totem fountain in the town square commemorated its 2000th birthday in 1992.

We went back to the room for yet another nap for both of us.

We left for dinner about 5:45, grabbing another castle photo on the way. This area is so charming that way. I love views like this one where the castle is perched on the hill above the village by the river.

We went inland a bit to a place the owner of the hotel recommended last night.

Lemabri is a surprising touch of elegance in a very industrial area.

That’s Ash to the left of center in yellow.

The bar to the right of the entrance.

Spicy edamame and pizza bread to start. We didn’t really eat lunch and were hungry but probably over ordered.

We really should’ve just split Ash’s chicken, which was really good.

This is a Korean-German fusion sort of place. This was beef bao. I ate the meat and the slaw beneath it but left the bread so I wouldn’t get so full.

A shrimp linguine dish for Ash. We took about half of it home.

For me a decent steak, yummy veggies and amazing fries. I finished the meat and the veggies but left about half the fries. The portions were much bigger than we expected all around.

We didn’t even ask about the dessert menu, settling on the single pieces of chocolate the hotel left on our pillows when they made the room up.

The castle at night upon our return.

Tomorrow we head to Frankfurt.