European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 30, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Passengers take in the sights on a ship excursion along the crowds embark on an excursion ship for a Rhine River 14 the mouse Tower is a former toll station on the Rhine the stars and stripes Story and photos by Linda White travel editor what you Haven taken a cruise on the Rhine but that is Al most the first thing everyone does in everyone does it is no reason Why you but Rhine cruises must have something going for them to be so the cd Kiln Dii Sheldorfer Fleet alone carried million Passen Gers last what the cruises have going for them k the one of the great Rivers of the parts of its Shore Are scarred by heavy but other stretches have maintained quiet Charm or boast wild one of the Best stretches some people say the Best lies Between Mainz and Castle wine a Region of half timbered Vil Lages that welcomes tourists with open and the tourists hopping on and off ships that operate like milk trains cd has 35 land ing stages along the 200kilometer stretch Between Mainz and it is easy enough to Start out in the Stop at a wine Village or and catch the next another popular alternative is to take the boat Down Stream that North on the Rhine and the train cd has a ticketing arrangement with the German Federal railway do that makes it buy the roundtrip ticket at the Landing from Mainz to Koblenz and return costs 62 Marks about when you reach go to the cd ticket present the Coupon for the rail ticket and pay 1 Mark about 35 cents service the train ticket is Good for any train going your although on the express intercity you must pay a a couple of weeks on a ship appropriately named the there was a Good mix of people they boarded with backpacks and guide books and the americans headed for the open air top deck and started snapping pictures the germans made for the dining Salon and ordered Beer and the sky was full of Clouds and the River was the color of burnished barges slowed up to their eyeballs in weighted Down under their the Rhine is a hardworking not far outside the vineyards Miles and Miles of said a Middle aged american who had been Reading bits and pieces of a Guidebook to his he gazed longingly at the and then at the ships wine As if wishing he could Sample All the just he just As far As you can see a Loudspeaker system interrupted its oomph music periodically to Point out sights in Ger English and the ship Slid past Little communities of forests of masts at yacht and castles to the left and castles on every look theres another Castle behind exclaimed a woman As the ship crisscrossed the it stopped at villages on both sides at one Point Sim ply backing from Goar to the distance is so All the Little towns look fresh faced and they have foreign flags flying at the Landing stages and Flowers in the windows the Terrace cafes Are if you have enough you can Stop any place that grabs your fancy for a visit to a wine cellar or a walk up to the most of the even the have some have the bes preserved Castle is above where you can visit the knights the Chapel and the one of the most dramatic ruins is Ehrenfels at the Entrance to the hazardous Binger Rheinstein Castle has a Good collection of weapons and Reichenstein Castle also has a valuable Art there is mouse Castle next door to the Katz cat and there Are two ruined castles of hostile separated by a Wall of legend says that the Brothers killed each other in the born Hofen the Rhine is full of Little on one stands the mouse where the miserly Mainz Bishop Hatto ii was supposedly eaten by on the Pfalz Island stands a 14thcentury toll Castle of Graceful White the River Narrows at the Loreley and leg ends Echo Between the Stark the scene inspired the Story of the Beautiful Maiden Loreley Means Rock Elf whose songs lured Boatmen to their at Low the dangerous the seven the cd line has 14 excursion boats on the Mainz Cologne and a couple of them go on to Frankfurt on the a fast hydrofoil and an old paddle the Complete the boat which operate this year until Long haul trips of three to seven Days arc available Between and Amsterdam on eight big cruise there Are daily sailings on the Mosul River until pick up a schedule at the Landing stages or ask for it from cd German Rhine Franke Werft d5000 Cologne it is published in As is the Booklet listing longer a number of other excursion boat companies also operate on the from almost every one and two hour roundtrip arc available in Fer Ries both pedestrian and Auto also operate All along the july a Village on the is backed by rolling Hills of the stars and stripes Page 15