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26.3.60

Hi Sweetheart -

Only time for a short letter, since its already 9:15 and I have a rare opportunity
for a hot shower before bed! Can't pass that up. We're staying in the hostel in Lorch
tonight and since it's presently being completely reconstructed and redecorated we're
sleeping on mattresses on the floor. But that's fine with us, and the location is
quite beautiful - about 1/2 mile from the Rhein up the valley of a smaller river
(the Wisper) which runs into the Rhein. So we have the beauty of both valleys.
We had dinner tonight in a small Gaslätte here in Lorch, then went to a wine
seller recommended by the herbergsvater (the "father" of the hostel) and had a glass
each of good Rhein wine. We also bought a bottle to take back to the Burg and
share with Dr. Boerner - a party ahead!

Today was the prettiest part of the Rhein yet - but it was so overcast and
hazy that the mountains lacked some of their normal color - especially at
a distance. There was no rain though, and the sun did break through
on occasion. We spent about 1 1/2 hours looking around Koblenz, but none
of the buildings in the guide book were really very noteworthy. Probably because
the heavy war damage destroyed so much. I don't think I told you last
night, but the hostel was part of an old Fortress Ehrenbreitstein (before
WWI it was second in strength only to Gibralter in all of Europe) - very fascinating
set of walls, passages, etc. and a magnificient view of Koblenz and the Rhein
and Moselle rivers - so the hostel was the best of Koblenz.

We came only a few kilometers to the little town of Braubach, then
spent two great hours eating lunch and wandering about the Marksburg
castle above the town - the best preserved (actually the only unruined) castle
on the Rhein. It's about 460 ft above the river and dates partly from the 11th cent.
being added to until the 17th century. We took a tour of the inside too -
walls 9 feet thick! (18 ft. thick in the cellar!), old suits of armor, old
torture chamber (with a stretching rack among other things!), the rooms
still partly furnished - tables, chests, painted walls, pictures of old princes, etc.
It was really very fascinating to see it so entirely first hand, and not
just as articles in a museum.

As we came southward the hills on the sides of the river grew steeper
and rose almost right up from the bank, so the farm and industry
diminished (except for the weinbergs which I swear they would grow on
the face of a cliff!!) and it became mostly natural beauty. Fewer towns
and mostly smaller - a very lovely part of the river. Tomorrow we have
about another 10 km of this to Rudesheim, then it flattens out more the
rest of the way to Mainz.

Got to shower now - love you very much, darling! Really!! Also I'm
enclosing a card of the Loreley (because of Wagner), one of the most famous spots
on the Rhine - the river is only about 350 ft wide at that point.
Sweet dreams!

Lots of love -
Your George