I always describe the best part of the Rhine as from Mainz to Koblenz, but this ignores the larger city of Wiesbaden across the Rhine from Mainz. In looking up Wiesbaden, I was drawn to the unusual funicular, the Nerobergbahn. This cable car is powered by water. Two cars are attached by the cable, one going up and one down. A tank is filled with water in the top car. The car then goes downhill, bringing the other car up. At the bottom the water is drained out and pumped up the hill to repeat the process.
So we took the train to Mainz where we changed to a train to Wiesbaden. At the Hbf we exited and got bus information from the info office in the plaza. The bus goes all the way to the Neroberg ( last stop ). Nice short trip in the cable car up the mountain. We then walked a short way down to the Russian Orthodox church. Small but very nice. Back up we watched a couple taking wedding pictures at the columned observation terrace. We reversed the trip back to Bacharach.
Ate dinner at Weinstube "Zum Grünen Baum” . Poor service. One couple was tired of being ignored and left. We would have but then they paid attention to the room we were in. Food ok. Tykewife had another pork jelly type dish, I had schnitzel.
The Lahn river joins the Rhine near Koblenz but is largely ignored. I had bicycled from Koblenz to Limburg once and last trip we did that by train and stayed in Limburg. There are a couple of towns worth visiting and we went to Bad Emms, a spa town favored by Russians in the 1800’s. We took the train, changing in Koblenz. The town is dominated by a large hotel and casino.T here is a fountain where you can sample the mineral water. We declined to do so. There is a funicular - originally water powered like the Nerobergbahn but now by electricity. It was not open and seemed to be not in operation. Later we saw it operating but were on the other side of the river and needed to get to the train.
There is a very nice river promenade and park. We also went inside a nice church, then crossed the river and were going to visit the Russian Orthodox church, but it had an event going on so we didn’t go in. Back at the train station, the notice went up that the train would be 5 minutes late.then 15,25,45 and finally 75 minutes late! So we went back across the river and had a doner and pizza. Back to the station to find out the train was cancelled, so we waited for the regularly scheduled train that runs every 2 hours.
A nice trip. I hope that in another 3 years Frau Orth will still be running her b&b ( she will be 89 - her father lived to 95 ) and cwe an again travel to the Rhine. Believe it or not, there are lots of places left for us to see and explore.