Skooks and Laurie Adventures

Boppard Germany

Day 15-19/63, 4 days in the Rhine Valley in Boppard Germany

Paris to Boppard, Germany — our fourth country. We had an easy Uber ride to the Paris Gare du Nord train station. After some AI misdirection about where to catch the high‑speed Eurostar to Cologne, a couple of very nice Eurostar employees guided us back to the main floor. The train ride to Cologne was great, with speeds up to 180 mph. So smooth. Wish we had trains like this at home.

Two more regional trains got us to Boppard and our Airbnb with no issues. As we walked into the main square, we heard music and saw a small festival happening right in front of our place. It turned out to be a fundraiser for the local fire department. So what do you do? You get some beers and a currywurst. Yum.

Our first full day in Boppard was slow and relaxed, enjoying the pace of a small town. We did a bit of shopping, and Laurie found the Christmas shop.

The next day we walked to the Sesselbahn, an old fixed‑grip double chairlift with great views of the Rhine River, vineyards, and the biggest bend in the Rhine. Gedeonseck Rheinblick is a short walk from the top of the lift and has a panoramic viewpoint. Cappuccinos and cake were perfect while taking in the view.

We then walked a few miles on the many trails leading from Gedeonseck. There’s a crazy mountain bike park up there with massive ramps and jumps. After exploring, we returned to Gedeonseck for beers and a pretzel before riding the Sesselbahn back down — Laurie’s first time downloading on a lift.

Since we were in the land of castles, we made plans to visit Marksburg Castle in Braubach. Unfortunately, we couldn’t take the ferry from Boppard. The extreme drought had dropped the river level more than four feet, making some boat travel impossible. Cargo ships were still running, but many were only hauling about 50–60% of their normal loads.

A train plus a bus got us to Braubach, followed by a 1 km walk up the hill to Marksburg Castle. Our timing was perfect — we had time for a quick bite (currywurst again) before the 1:00 p.m. English‑speaking tour. There was only one other couple, and Max, our guide, was great.