Pfalzgrafenstein Toll Station
Soon after departing from Bacharach, a white building called "Pfalzgrafenstein Toll Station" came into view up ahead.
It is isn't on the bank of the Rhine. It is on a small island in the river itself. It was built in 1327 and it was used as a toll station until 1866. In the old days, the Rhine was one of the most important waterways and it was linked to other major rivers in Europe by canals. Most castles along the Rhine, which can be found along the river, were originally built to charge toll fares.
One after another, castles came into view up ahead.
"How much would I pay for a toll fare if I was in the Middle Ages?"
The entrance of a tunnel on the river bank looled like part of a castle.
Loreley-Rock
The Loreley is a 132m high rock, standing out from the Rhine, near the town of St Goarshausen. In the old days at this point, the river was 25m deep and only 113m wide. It was the narrowest and deepest place of the Rhine.
So this was the most dangerous place for ships passing through the Rhine Valley. There are a lot of legends associated with the Loreley and boat accidents. I heard that the legendary rock is one of the highlights of the river cruise. However it looled like just an ordinary cliff from our modern boat and it made me a little disappointed.
Castles poped-up one after another, so we didn't have time to catch our breath!
There were many small touristy towns on the bank of the river and our boat cruised along, stopping at each one.
At first, I planed to enjoy the wonderful views from the open deck, but soon I realizeed that it was impossble. It was too hot and I didn't want to get a suntan!
