Today was our most “touristy” day yet, but we still got some singing in! The singers had been looking forward to today for a long time, because today, we had a Rhine cruise and cable car ride to a fortress scheduled. Before we embarked on those, however, we traveled to a scenic vista called Loreley Rock.
In German folklore, there is a story about a woman named Loreley who sat on the rock that now bears her name and overlooks the Rhine. Infamously, a sailor gazing at her crashed into rocks due to his distraction. There is a famous German folk song based on a poem by Heinrich Heine detailing the encounter, and Cardinal Singers learned an arrangement of it for the trip! After arriving and climbing up to Loreley Rock, we stood around her statue and performed the folk song for other tourists.
After leaving Loreley Rock, we headed back into Koblenz for our cruise. Unfortunately, it started drizzling some, but it was still a lovely time with scenic views of Koblenz and surrounding areas.
Once we finished the boat cruise, it was time to ride the cable cars up to the fortress! Ehrenbreitstein Fortress dates back to the 1500s (and a castle predates it on the same site), but the “modern” fortress was built in the 1800s following the destruction of the original by the French. The Rhineland was hotly contested between the French and Prussia, so the fortress’ proximity to France and location above two converging rivers of commerce made it a strategically valuable location. Later on, it was occupied by America and France following both WW1 and WW2 and it is now a museum site (and UNESCO World Heritage Site), telling the fortress’ complex history and harboring memorials for German lives lost in WW1 and WW2 (it was strange to walk past memorials for the allied forces’ “enemy” in the fortress).
After our lovely day of tourism activities, we returned to our lodging at the Music Academy for dinner. The Academy staff have been wonderful hosts to us, and we did a brief concert for them in the castle to show our thanks. Tomorrow marks our last full day in Germany, and we will be heading to Mainz for one final concert before we head home. Until next time!
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