Chapter 35: A River Journey

Travelling upstream on the River Rhine was slow work. Their barge was pulled by no fewer than eight horses. Still, the progress made against the strong current of the river was slow. And this was a swift passenger barge!

The lower parts of the river had been much less of a problem. The party had crossed the Channel from London and arrived at Katwijk, Holland, the next day. Here, one of the arms of the River Rhine delta emptied into the North Sea.

A first leg by river boat had taken them to Arnheim. From there, a different boat had taken them upriver all the way to Cologne. The famous cathedral of Cologne was off limits to Protestants, but at least they could view it from the outside.

Further upriver, at Koblenz, the River Moselle joined the River Rhine. Upstream of that point, the wild and narrow rift valley of the Middle Rhine began. The river was narrow and a strong current slowed their progress.

Travelling by river was slow but comfortable for the family and their party. Richard, Ellen and their two children travelled with four servants, Neeta, Sadie, the wet nurse, Mrs. Painter, and a manservant, Hoggins.

They were accompanied by the Right Honourable James Palmer and Maddalena, his wife of two months. The reputation of Munich as a centre of the fine arts had spread over Europe and James was eager to see it for himself. So eager that he had volunteered to serve as private secretary for Richard. Having Maddalena or Maddie, as they called her, with her was a stroke of luck for Ellen.

Two more companions were travelling with them. Colleen McAllister and Melissa Martin had begged to be included in the entourage. Whilst Colleen was simply eager to travel, Melissa wanted to meet some of the most eminent artists of the time who, as rumour had it, had been lured to Munich by a liberal and art-loving King.

They had the boat to themselves, travelling the fifty miles from Koblenz to Mainz. Three men worked the boat and another two drove the horses. The keeled boat made good way through the water as attested by its wake. With the swift current however, the horses had to strain to make headway on the towpath.

Now the narrowest and according to the boat people most dangerous stretch was looming ahead. On the eastern bank, a massive dark rock rose from the river bed up to a height of more than four-hundred feet. It was the famed rock of Loreley, the mermaid who according to the lore had been sitting there combing her golden hair and watching the stream. So beautiful was she that the boatmen gazed up to her and forgot the dangers of the tricky river, causing their boats to founder in the rapid current. Full of remorse over the many dead boatmen, she plunged herself from the rock and into her death.

The boat master had told the story and James who possessed decent German had translated. It was a fairy tale. Nevertheless Ellen had chosen to cover her own golden hair with a head scarf. She had to grin when she realised her motives, but there was really no need to distract the crew.

The summer sun shone down on the boat as it made its way upstream. A sand bar and flat rocks blocked a part of the river and the resulting eddies made for a tricky navigation. The horses pulling the boat strained against the lines as they cleared this section of the river. The huge river was less than 400 feet wide at this point and, according to the boat men, thirteen fathoms deep creating a violent current, even in late summer.

The rock also marked a sharp turn in the river. After clearing it, the travellers had a completely new view of the landscape upstream. They had another obstacle ahead of them as they knew. The “Binger Loch”, the Bingen Hole, had been blasted into the basalt of a traverse ledge that stretched across the entire river. The passage was a mere 45 feet wide and the only way for a boat to cross the ledge.

All in all, it was a spectacular experience travelling on this vast and wild river. Almost every larger rock on either bank of the river was dominated by some castle or castle ruin. Every petty prince or nobleman had taxed the ships on the river. That was over, thank God. The Treaty of Mainz of 1831, brokered in part by the British government, had finally brought an end to this impediment for trade. Travel on the river was now free.

Five miles and two hours later, they passed a curious little fortification that sat in the middle of the river on a small sandbar. It was a toll station, built in the fourteenth century by the Emperor Ludwig IV, “The Bavarian”.

Approaching it, they saw that it was built like a ship, with a fortified bow against the floating ice of the wintry river.

In the small town of Kaub on the eastern bank of the river, the barge landed. The territory belonged to King Ludwig of Bavaria who was also the Palatine of the Rhine. Showing Richard’s royal passport did wonders and in no time the travellers found comfortable lodgings in a pub.

This was a wine growing country and Richard’s party enjoyed a pork roast for dinner accompanied by a local white wine. They had spent the last two nights in the small and stuffy cabins of the river boat. Sleeping in real beds was a welcome change.

After supper, Little Anthony enjoyed running along the river bank, always under the watchful eyes of Ricky, the sheep dog. Ricky was getting older and Ellen had not had the heart to leave her dog at home for another long absence. Boat travel was not much to Ricky’s liking, but being with “his” family for the entire day seemed to satisfy him deeply.

Colleen and Melissa walked along the river too. Melissa had brought her sketch book and she captured the curious little fortress in the river and the larger castle that overlooked town and river.

James and Maddalena had retired to their room already. Ellen suspected that the young couple wanted to make the most of the privacy of their room. She and Richard strolled along the tow path keeping a watchful eye on Anthony. They need not have! Whenever the boy came close to the river bank, Ricky interceded pushing him back with his nose. The ticklish child enjoyed this game and his laughter brought smiles on Ellen’s and Richard’s faces.