Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [441]
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AROUND RÜDESHEIM
Eibingen
About 2km north of Rüdesheim, the wine village of Eibingen is the burial place of medieval power woman Hildegard von Bingen (see the boxed text, opposite). Her elaborate gold reliquary shrine, containing her heart, hair, tongue and skull, is prominently displayed inside the parish church (Marienthaler Strasse 3; daily), attracting pilgrims from around the world, especially on 17 September, the anniversary of her death. Up the hill, the St Hildegard Convent (www.abtei-st-hildegard.de, in German), with around 50 nuns, dates back to 1904.
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Kloster Eberbach
If you saw the 1986 film The Name of the Rose, starring Sean Connery, you’ve already seen parts of this one-time Cistercian monastery ( 06723-917 80; www.kloster-eberbach.de; adult/student incl English-language brochure €3.50/1.50, 1½hr audioguide for 1/2 people €3.50/5; 10am-6pm Apr-Oct, 11am-5pm Nov-Mar), in which many of the interior scenes were shot. Dating from as far back as the 12th century and once home to 150 or more monks and perhaps 400 lay brothers, this graceful complex – in an idyllic little valley – went through periods as a lunatic asylum, jail, sheep pen and accommodation for WWII refugees. Today visitors can explore the 13th- and 14th-century Kreuzgang (cloister), the monks’ baroque refectory and their vaulted Gothic Monchdormitorium (dormitory), as well as the austere Romanesque Klosterkirche (basilica).
At the Vinotek (www.weingut-kloster-eberbach.de, in German), you can taste and buy the superb wines produced by the government-owned Hessische Staatsweingüter (Hessian State Winery).
Kloster Eberbach is about 20km northeast of (ie towards Wiesbaden from) Rüdesheim. From Rüdesheim or Wiesbaden, you can take bus 171 or the train either to Eltville, from where hourly bus 172 heads to the Kloster, or to Hattenheim, from which it’s a 3km uphill walk.
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THE MOSELLE VALLEY
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While plenty of places in Germany demand that you hustle, the Moselle (in German, Mosel) gently suggests that you should, well…just mosey. The German section of the river, which rises in France and then traverses Luxembourg, runs 195km from Trier to Koblenz on a slow, serpentine course, revealing new scenery at every bend. Unlike the Romantic Rhine, it’s spanned by plenty of bridges.
Exploring the vineyards and wineries of the Moselle Valley is an ideal way to get to know German culture, meet German people and, of course, acquire a taste for some wonderful wines. Slow down and experience sublime serial sipping – look for signs reading Weingut, Weinprobe, Wein Probieren, Weinverkauf and Wein zu Verkaufen. In spring luscious purple wisteria flowers, dangling from stone village houses, anticipate the bunches of grapes that will ripen in the fall.
Europe’s steepest vineyard (the Bremmer Calmont near Bremm, with a 68% gradient) and Germany’s most expensive one (the Bernkasteler Doctor in Bernkastel-Kues) are both located along the Moselle.
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Activities
CYCLING
For details on some of the many superb cycling paths along and near the Moselle, Click here, Click here and the boxed text, Click here.
HIKING
The Moselle Valley is especially scenic walking country. Expect some steep climbs if you venture away from the river, but the views are worth a few sore muscles. A popular long-distance hike is the Moselhöhenweg, running on both sides of the Moselle for a total of 390km. Good hiking maps are available at most bookshops and tourist offices.
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Getting