Disclaimer - Iam writing most of these well past my usual bedtime. It may be 4 pm there but it is 10 pm here so I'm getting these up the best way I can but not at all polished or spell checked. Sooo...
This morning we said goodbye to our wonderful hosts in Koblenz and drove back down the Rhine. Yesterday we drove in pouring rain on the Bingen side to the Hildegard Museum. Today we drove down the other side in much nicer weather to the Hildegard Monastery (for more information see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eibingen_Abbey and other sites)
Drive along Rhine to Rudesheim.
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| Most of the tunnels have these rounded entrances and are large inside. |
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| There is a great deal of freight traffic on the Rhine |
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| We passed many small villages between Koblenz and Rudesheim |
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| Across the river |
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| Many passenger boats - a very busy river! |
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| Strip mining will ruin vineyards, views and beauty |
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| Water is very high on the Rhine this year and there is considerable flooding |
There are more castles along this stretch Of the Rhine than any other.
We passed across the river the Hildegard Museum we visited yesterday in Bingen
Hildegard's Monastery - She founded this but it's status changed over the years. We arrived in time for noon Office and it was sung by the sisters - very beautifully
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| First view of the monastery HIGH in a hill. Vineyards between it and the houses |
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| The church is on the right half and the monastery on the left. |
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| This statue in front of the church is very similar to the one in the museum |
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| The view to the Rhine and beyond is spectacular |
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| The choir is far to the left of the main altar and hidden from those sitting in the nave. |
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| Sisters leaving after noon prayers |
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| In the windows of the closed :( gift shop |
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| The vineyards and beyond |
Great views from monastery- surprised to see the sisters wearing full habits.
ReplyDeleteWonder what Hildegard would think.
Thanks for taking us along on this wonderful journey.
Sonia
Sonia - Pat can probably ad to this if she sees it. She has a Benedictan heritage. I know they take a vow of "stability of place" which I understand means they don't move around. I don't know how this relates to cloistered nuns. They, like the Trappistines in Wrentham, wear other clothes for the work in the vineyard and around the farm and change for the Office. I do think it is common for the more cloistered nuns to be in traditional garb and perhaps also to be more conservative.
DeleteThe nuns across the street from us in Munich wore full habits and they were certainly out on the street. I suspect Bavaria in general is more traditional. It is very Catholic with symbols everywhere in public.