This morning I felt soo much better. I think it was because I'd worked and walked and basically had worn myself out the day before. Before we headed out to drive along the Rheine River and get ourselves a cruise I got on the computer and did a bit more work.
After breakfast and after receiving instructions as to how to get out of the city, we got on the road. The directions we'd gotten were very good. Only one turn was left out and we were able to spot the flaw before we went in completely the wrong direction.
As we drove to St. Goar we watched the hillsides for castles. We saw tons of castles along the Rheine and we believe that we even saw the Sleeping Beauty Castle. The castles, the vineyards, the multi-colored trees, and the River all were spectacular objects to view, especially since it was sunny out. As we got closer and closer to St. Goar however it started to get quite cloudy. When we arrived we looked around for the information center (my "eagle eyes" spotted the sign) where we received instructions as how to get up to the castle we wanted to see and where the restrooms were (Ahmee was desperate at that point). 
After Ahmee and I used the restroom (and gawked at the cuckoo clock store) we started walking up the hill to Rheinfels Castle. Before we started heading up the hill I saw a sign that said 18% incline. I wondered aloud, possibly too quietly, whether or not we should walk up, it was at the top of a mighty mountain and it was raining at the time. Course, I didn't mind too much, there was a lovely view, and I didn't end up breathing heavily at all. Ahmee however started having some difficulties and asked Poppy to go back down and bring the car, which he did. While he drove down I had the wonderful opportunity to view St. Goar from above and to view the Rheine and the opposite mountainside from a cozy little bench that was partially sheltered from the rain by a tree. When Poppy did come up we hopped in the car and were surprised to find that the castle was only about 4 blocks away. Ahmee apologized to Poppy profusely as we got out of the car to go into the "bull-dog castle" (according to Rick Steves this castle sat on top of the mountain like a bulldog). The Castle Rheinfels is now a magnificent ruin. We bought our tickets, grabbed an English pamphlet, and started exploring the ruins.
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The lords who ran the castle were basically pirates, if you wanted to pass along the Rheine you had to pay a fee to them. Later another castle was built just across the Rheine which did the same thing. No one would dare say no to the lord of such a castle. Even though the castle Rheinfels was in a ruin when we visited, it was STILL a dominating and intimidating piece of architecture. Imagining that that castle had another three stories to it along with a tall tower on top isn't difficult. What's difficult is seeing the section of the castle that was built (by a drinker) as basically a fancy mansion. The castle once was incredibly colorful. We walked around, soaking in history and envisioning the castle in its heyday, and (probably most often thought of this) thought of how on earth someone could possibly take a castle such as this one down by brute force.
We didn't get to complete the walk however, we had to get down to the river so we could catch our tour-boat. We headed down, found a place to park, and then discovered a different tour from the one we'd been recommended by the tourist information lady. This one left in 45 minutes and went in the direction Ahmee wanted it to. To pass time, we went into a shop close by that was dubbed originally by Ahmee as a tacky tourist trap. We walked in and were delighted to find a variety of items. 
There were: cuckoo clocks (were less expensive but still over 100 euros), music boxes (many played the famous song from Sound of Music-Adle Vice (sp?)), Christmas ornaments, medieval items such as: swords, magic wands, etc., glass goblets, and various purses. 
We also saw yet again a picture of a statue of a woman who was sitting on a rock naked brushing her golden hair. We'd seen this picture before in the information center and we were curious as to the tale behind the statue. Ahmee asked the lovely cashier what and who she was. The lady told us (in flawless English) that that was the Lorelei lady. She was a legend in these parts, and the legend has it that she'd sit on the Lorelei rock and sing while she brushed her golden hair. Sailors would hear her song and would crash into the rocks. Sounds to me like the Lorelei lady is a siren. Before the cashier lady went back to her duties Ahmee chuckled and asked if the Lorelei lady was returning to her rock. The cashier lady (who was a gorgeous, blonde woman) laughed and said that she'd left that rock ages ago. Ahmee's comment made her quite happy I think because she was chuckling to herself the whole way back to the counter.When it was time to head out we went and waited for the boat. The boat was right on time and they didn't wait long for passengers. If you weren't there waiting a couple minutes beforehand and you show up late, the boat will not be there. It is there and then it is gone.
We went up to the top of the boat even though it was slightly windy and it rained on us once. When it rained I refused to get under the canopy on top deck. The canopy restricted my view is what I said as I pulled out my umbrella and put it up so that I couldn't see a thing towards the front. Many of you might be thinking that that was a silly thing to do. I assure you, it wasn't. My front view was restricted to begin with by the captain's cabin. I could see everything on my sides and I could see all the way to the top of the mountains. This I thoroughly enjoyed because I got to view the trees, the beautifully rough mountains, the pin-stripped vineyards, the castles, the small towns, the Lorelei Rock, the boats, the bright-yellow trees in the middle of a sea of orange, the insane kayakers, the super-long trains, and my fellow passengers. I never knew I people-watched so much until I realized that I'd gotten a fairly good idea of what my fellow passengers were like. The interactions that occurred on top deck made me smile. At one end of the boat (at a certain point) there was a family of 7 who were hanging out together. There was a grandma, a grandpa, a Momma, a Daddy, and two little girls. One of the little girls fussed and cried. She immediately was silenced when her Grandpa picked her up and held her as he cooed to her. Any time the little girl got put down by her Grandpa she'd fuss and cry. Ahmee wasn't sure if the little girl was a brat or if she was just tired. Her older sister didn't fuss too much at all, but then I didn't notice her too much at first. There was one peculiar group that I saw that I enjoyed pondering over and that was the group that had the high-profile mom who reminded me of Mrs. Callis (her style), the college-professor dad, the skater teen brother, and the straight-laced elementary brother. The dad and the younger boy hung out on top deck, pointing at various things and talking to each other, while the mother stayed below deck (the older brother came up later). Another group I enjoyed watching was the group of Asian women. These women reminded me of Emma and her friends and how they'd act if they all went on a trip together. Most of the women were just kicked back, having the greatest time just talking to each other. There was one woman within this group however who was thoroughly immersed in the scenery and who enjoyed walking all over the boat, taking pictures. This woman had graying hair (reminded me of Mrs. Graham) and was wearing a visor and a jacket that had multi-colored versions of the word Paris on it. I liked this woman and a young guy for their obvious love for travel. The guy sat down right next to me and got up at random intervals to take a picture. I noticed that his eyes, unlike some of the people I'd seen, were very shrewd and lively. A woman I'd met earlier in the day had slow, dimmed, almost bored-looking eyes (might just be tired-she'd flown in from Wisconsin the day previously). This guy had Emma's grey eyes and he definitely knew how to use them. I'd find something pretty and would long to take a picture and often a few seconds after I'd gotten done looking he'd take a picture.
As we waited to get off the boat (to only wait another 45 minutes and get on one heading back) I asked this young guy if he spoke English. I was surprised to hear an English accent, but went ahead (using hand gestures and all-I still hadn't gotten my mind around the fact that he was English-hadn't met anyone so far from England) and told him that he had a very good eye for pictures. He thanked me just as the ramp was set down. I walked off, the boat telling the shrewd-eyed guy, "You're welcome."
After this we went into town to grab a bite to eat and something to drink. The objective was to get something sweet to go with coffee. We found the perfect thing and we each got incredible slices of pie to go with our coffee.
We finished up our food and walked back to the loading dock, where I looked around at the other passengers-in-waiting. I found that the college-professor-Mrs. Callis family was in line, and so was the Grandpa and younger baby sister family. Everyone else that I'd seen while on deck wasn't there. There were some other people, but I didn't bother to look, I was having too much of a good time looking at the sun on the slopes (the sun had come back the last half of the trip there and was still there the duration of the trip back). We didn't have long to wait. Our boat, the Jeverland, soon arrived and we got on board and went up to the top deck. Unlike when we'd ridden the Lorelei, I quickly got incredibly cold (it was getting later in the afternoon) and needed to go below deck. My view of the river and the beautiful mountainsides might've been obstructed, but my view of the fellow passengers was not. I quickly looked around and was surprised to see a few faces that were bored and grumpy looking, who were staring off into space instead of staring out their windows or at fellow passengers.
Later I decided I didn't like those passengers even when they snapped out of their stupor to see their fellow passengers, they were having a good time laughing at the other people on the boat. Another group that was fun to watch was a group of businessmen. It was fun trying to figure out exactly what type of business they do, and why they were having such an informal meeting on a tourism boat (informal because one of the women enjoyed making a joke or two near the end of the meeting). What I could make out was that most of the businessmen and women consisted of Indian people. Other than that I couldn't hear or see much.
I had yet another enjoyable moment while people-watching. The young girl who had cried when her grandfather set her down was much happier. She and her family were sitting in the table right in front of us and she enjoyed walking around it. Once or twice she stopped and giggled at us as we smiled at her and giggled back. Of course, after a bit our smiles made her uneasy. When this happened I directed my attention elsewhere. It didn't take long for me to realize that I was being watched (get that prickling feeling in the back of your neck). I looked around and caught the eye of the older sister. She was peeking at me out of the corner of her eye. I smiled at her and she quickly looked away. Later, I got the feeling again. This time it was after the rest of the family had gotten up and moved. Poppy nudged me and I looked and saw that the older little girl was standing just in front of our table just staring openly at me. When I saw her I smiled and she smiled and covered her eyes with her little purple hat and then peeked out at me again. This made me giggle and smile even more, which sparked a few giggles from the little girl. Course, she was quickly snapped back to attention when her parents called for her from behind me, and she went off to stand with them and to wait for the boat to stop.
After we all departed the boat we went and had a short peek at a small fair that was going on close by. This truly was a short peek because it took us less than ten minutes to get in and out (course it was also a really small fair - had all French items). Poppy and I quickly got cold chills so we headed back to the car where Poppy kicked on the heater and started driving back to the Ibis hotel.
We came into the city from a different direction than what we'd been advised that morning. It was no problem though, because I recognized where we were and we were able to get back to the hotel. The reason I recognized where we were was because I noticed one particular light store that I'd seen when we were coming into the city. When I looked up I had a flash-back of Ahmee and Poppy wondering which direction to go, and one of them seeing the sign to the Ibis Hotel just in the nick of time (it was to the right).
We got back to the hotel, went out to eat, and then got back to the room where I did homework and went to bed early.
This night I did not sleep well at all. I ended up waking up and staying awake due to cramps. Not a nice announcement to have your period come in the middle of the night. I also had a very strange dream that involved Iain, a castle, some raiders, and a not-very-happy Queen Mum (not anyone in my family).
The next morning Ahmee asked me if I'd ever had someone touch me or do something to me that I didn't want them to. I told her that I hadn't and I asked why she asked. She told me that I had sounded extremely distressed when I talked in my sleep that night and that I kept saying, "No!" and, "Stop!!" To those who don't know yet: I talk in my sleep every night. It's unusual for Ahmee and Poppy to not hear something from me while I'm asleep. Ahmee says I speak quite clearly and loudly, while Poppy often says what I say is muffled. It could be both, or it could be just Ahmee's since Poppy doesn't have his ears in at night (he needs a hearing aid).
1 comment:
Shoot Ray, at home sometimes when you and Em shared a room, I swear sometimes it sounded as though you were conversing in your sleep.
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