Rudesheim to Miltenburg

Outside our boat a small train [not unlike Thomas the Tank Engine.] awaits us to board for Rudesheim and the mechanical musical museum.

 Inside is a plethora of old musical cabinets, self playing violins, music boxes, gramophones and carnival musical instrument machines. All make wonderful sounds and are great for our enjoyment.

 Heidi played a wind up musical machine on wheels cranking away on the grinder to produce the sound. From the museum we walked into town, very small . Bought two postcards and a silver bear key chain with movable limbs and a German flag on his tummy. I called him Rude after Rudesheim. Caught the train back to the boat . Lay down with tea and cake in bed and watched the Illusionist. Port talk with Gunther who says we are leaving the Rhine behind and going onto the Maine with its thirty four lochs. Weisbaden is on the left and has the highest number of bachelor millionaires. Unfortunately we are not stopping . [Thinking of swimming ashore.] For the next four days we are unable to go up on the sundeck as there are low bridges ahead. Gunther has decided to give us a German lesson and begins with the words fahren, Rathaus, kindergarten, and Ausfahrt. Abba show on tonight! Sailing the whole night. Loch, loch, loch, loch. 

Sailing all the next morning. Glass blowing demonstration in the lounge am.  Overnight cruising to Miltenburg.  Then it is time for dinner. Lovely shrimps on skewers with couscous and for dessert white and dark chocolate mousse. Entree was slices of mozzarella with thinly sliced tomatoes and pesto sauce on the top. All very delicious. Into the lounge for a cocktail -baileys Irish cream with banana and more cream. While we drink our cocktail an Abba come Elvis come rock concert commenced and we all got up and twisted the night away. So much fun. We retired to our room for Angels and Demons but fell asleep about twenty minutes into it. During the night I was aware of the mild bumping of the boat into the sides of the many lochs that we passed through. It was gentle and subtle and hardly disturbed our sleep. The following morning we slept in and then had pastries in the lounge for a late breakfast While I ate them there was the glass blowing demonstration on from the local area around Miltenburg. The glass blower was a real character being bright and cheerful. He was the sixth generation of his family to run the business. Interesting  aspects of the industry unfolded and his products were beautiful. Heidi chose a lovely glass bracelet with pink and blue hues, from him and in the process was cajoled into working packing the products that were bought by everyone. She had fun as they sold like hot cakes. People went mad for the glass. An hour later they wrapped it up and Hans kindly gave her the bracelet for helping him.

She was absolutely thrilled as it was fifty euros . We then pulled into dock but decided to stay on the boat for the afternoon. We  did not want cakes in the home excursion as Heidi was unwell with her cold. We got room service for dinner and thoroughly enjoyed paella in the room. Watched the villages and lochs slide by as we ate. What a treat. Went to bed early. Missed Neil Diamond concert in the lounge as not a fan. Cruising on to Wurzburg.