Rheingau

After leaving Mainz we drove to the Rheingau region of Germany - a series of small, picturesque, wine-making towns along the Rhine River. Our first stop was Kloster Eberbach, a former Cistercian Monastery. It was built in the 13th and 14th centuries.

This is the simple Basilica (Monastery Church). It was built from 1145-1160 and from 1170-1186.






Along the sides of the church are many tombstones from the 12th - 16th centuries.







This is the monk's dormitory. The monks slept in this unheated (part of their vows) room in rows of simple beds. Their vows also included silence, no eating meat and strict asceticism.










This is the Reliquienkruez, found on a roof in 1992 and dating to the 15th century. If my German was working it contains several relics - perhaps suggesting a piece of Christ's cross.

This is the oldest remaining Cistercian "Grisaille" ornamental window in the German-speaking countries. It dates to about 1180.

This fountain is outside the dining hall and was used for hand washing before meals.















These are the wine presses the monks used.
















Ellen thought the name of this wine was funny.

We bought some Kloster wine and then drove to the hotel Jeff and I stayed in a year and a half ago. We didn't stay long - just showed the kids, then drove on to...

...find a cafe for lunch. We also picked up some bread for later and wow - it was some of the best we'd had (and that's a compliment - the bread in Germany is fantastic!). The person who waited on us spoke English to us the minute we ordered - really great English - turns out she is from California.







The vineyards in this region are beautiful - even in winter. In this photo you can just see the Rhine in the distance.




The next stop was the Johannisberg winery and palace.








It was a nice chance to stretch our legs and get some great views of the Rhine river.


















The Basilika Johannes der Taufer from 1130.