R&R on the Rhine - Rudesheim

R&R on the Rhine - Memphis to Amsterdam
R&R on the Rhine - Viking Bestla
R&R on the Rhine - Amsterdam
R&R on the Rhine - Kinderdijk
R&R on the Rhine - Cologne
R&R on the Rhine - Marksburg Castle
R&R on the Rhine - Upper Rhine Valley
R&R on the Rhine - Rüdesheim
R&R on the Rhine - Heidelberg Castle
R&R on the Rhine - Heidelberg and Speyer
R&R on the Rhine - Strasbourg
R&R on the Rhine - Black Forest
R&R on the Rhine - Colmar
R&R on the Rhine - Zurich Day 1
R&R on the Rhine - Zurich Day 2
R&R on the Rhine - Zurich to Memphis

On Sunday evening our ship docked in Rüdesheim.  The town shops were only a short walk away from the ship and many of our group enjoyed strolling through the small town.  C and I decided to just relax on the ship for awhile and enjoy the waning sun.  At the appropriate time we all met up just beside the ship where a "train" had magically appeared.  The train was actually a string of tram cars decorated to look like a train.  It was a tight squeeze to get us all on board but we did and the tram drove us through town, up and down hills and over the cobblestones.

We eventually stopped at a restaurant for our dinner.  As this was a large shore excursion from the ship, we took over the whole main part of the restaurant while other patrons were out on the terrace.  We were served traditional German food by waitresses in traditional German clothes.  It was all quite good and the complimentary wine was a big hit as well!  As we ate, the oompah band performed for us.

During and after dinner, the band and restaurant staff encouraged audience participation.  Shots of some sort of alcohol were served in glasses attached to a ski, so 5-6 people had to drink at the same time.  Many of our ladies gave that a try!  Then one of our group was recruited to play the bass drum as the band struck up a parade through the restaurant, both inside and out.  Nothing screams "I'm on vacation" like a bunch of slightly tipsy tourists wandering through a maze of tables.  To preserve their dignity I'm omitting any photos.  Well, that and very few of the photos came out very well as they were constantly in motion and the lighting was a bit dim at times.

But it was a lot of fun and our group enjoyed ourselves immensely.