~ Rheinsteig, 14.04.2023 ~

I walked a section of the Rheinsteig, a hiking trail along the right side of the Rhine—beginning with taking the ferry from Kripp.

Linz is an old mediæval city with a beautiful old town.
It used to be prosperous, too, but the nationwide retail die-off in recent years has left many storefronts vacant.

A few residential streets zig-zag uphill.

Gardens and shrubs along the crest divide it from the neighbouring village.

On the other side is Ockenfels, built into the hillside.

The village has very little infrastructure. It's almost entirely single-family homes built after the war.

Castle Ockenfels is older. The first castle on the site dates to the 13th century.
It fell into ruin over the centuries, and was almost completely rebuilt during the 1920s.

A stretch of forest covers the hilltop delineating the village.

The descent on the other side is very steep and narrow. I had to tread very carefully; and being afraid of heights, it was a good workout for mind and body! There exists an easier route around the back, following a little stream.

Nestled the Kasbach valley is the village of the same name. It has a nice church and cluster of old half-timbered houses at the bottom of the valley, but I didn't take the detour.

A steep flight of stairs leads up the Erpeler Ley.

Atop the rock is a plateau, covered largely in forest—a welcome relief after all the up-and-down.

A pen holds a pair of peacocks.

Facing the Rhine is a large open area that offers a great panorama of the landscape.

The descent towards Erpel is made easier by stairs set into the forest soil.

And thus I arrived back at the Rhine and took the ferry from Erpel to Remagen, and concluded the walk with a satisfying view of the path I'd taken.