Jase’s European Summer

[jase05]

It had been nearly 2 years since my last drive on the wrong side of the road so was cautious at first but after about 15 minutes it all came back to me and we were back into the swing of things. We had booked at the Bellevue Rhinehotel in the cute little town of Boppard. This stretch of the Rhine is probably our favourite and after stopping at Bacharach and St Goar we arrived in Boppard late afternoon after a pleasant drive. Was over 34 degrees and the sun was beating down but the Rhine looked resplendent as usual.

 

[jase05]

BOPPARD
Next two days were spent at the gorgeous little town of Boppard which is on the Rhine. Has a stack of great cafes and bars and is a lovely place to relax and explore for a couple of days. We stayed at the Bellevue Rheinhotel and chose a balcony room overlooking the Rhine. Great old family owned hotel with some interesting decor and friendly staff. Parking was extra like most places in Europe and was in a small undercover parking lot leased by the hotel a couple of streets back. No airconditiong and as the region was in the midst of mid 30’s the owners set up a couple of portable fans and opened up the massive windows to allow a nice breeze to circulate. Spent quite a bit of time out on the balcony watching the world go by and early morning especially it was amazing seeing how many barges and ships navigated the river. Breakfast was in the big old dining area and consisted of a stack of local produce that appeared to be cooked with that home style love and was delicious.
The Rhine from our balcony




The Bellevue

 

[jase05]

Beautiful town to wander around and sample some local ales and produce. Some really good coffee as well which is vital for my survival
Was fairly warm both days so on the second day I joined in with the locals and had a dip in the Rhine, very refreshing and got to chat with a few locals.
The second day we went up to Gedeonseck Rheinblick for lunch. Rather than take the chairlift we drove up there and it was quite a narrow road with lots of blind corners but once at the top the views over Boppard and the biggest loop on the Rhine were amazing. The restaurant did a pretty mean lunch as well.