What a charming wine-making town!  It’s no wonder Rudesheim am Rhein is one of Germany’s most visited tourist attractions.  Only the cathedral in Cologne (our next destination) draws more visitors from other countries.

Located on the Rhine Gorge, this quaint town of 10,000 residents is just too cute!  The Old Town is so adorable, I just wanted to wrap my arms around and hug it.

My mom and I had visited Rudesheim on our 2011 European river cruise, and I remembered swooning; it was love at first sight.

Riding the cable car up to Niederwalddenkmal (Niederwald Monument) was a lovely way to take in the views before returning to ramble around the town.  Built in 1870’s to 1880’s, it commemorates the Unification of Germany.

There is a lot more history to it than that, but you’ll have to Google it if you want to know more.  I was too distracted by the beauty of the vineyards below to pay much attention to our excellent guide who went on, and on, and… well, T.M.I.

After returning by cable car to town, we enjoyed a leisurely ramble around.  The River Voyager was tied up along the riverbank in town, so it was very convenient to maximize our time without worrying about not returning to the boat in time for our afternoon departure.

Coming up next:  Rhine