Rudesheim

Rudesheim am Rhein is the quintessential old German village and the southern start to the Romantic Rhine. It is also the home of the Asbach distillery and the shops on the banks of the Rhine sell every product you can think of containing this excellent brandy You can't call it cognac, the French have that tied up with their copyrights so the Germans call it Uralt.

As a tourist town Rudesheim is very popular, the only visitor attraction in Germany that draws more tourists is the Cathedral in Cologne. The very narrow streets uphill from the river host many interesting restaurants and hotels. Paintings and flowers fill the eyes at every corner, with wooden and semi-wooden buildings thrown in. Further uphill is a monument that can thankfully be reached by a cable car. The nearby Ehrenfeis Castle is a ruin that requires an appointment to visit the inside, too far to walk in the rain and so little time do do it in.