Germany was my home for 5 years. I lived near the Rhine River in wine country. There are plenty of vineyards and picturesque photo ops along the Rhine. On my most recent visit I decided to drive a couple of hours along the Rhine from Mainz to Cologne to take pictures. A little bit about the Rhine River. The Rhine River is 766 miles long and is the most important river and one of the longest in Europe. The Rhine River flows through six countries.
Let’s start in Mainz where I was able to catch some night shots right on the Rhine River. The 1st shot seen here is of the Theodor Heuss Bridge. I love this shot and decided to take some long exposure shots. The next shot is just after sunset from the top of the Bridge. I love the colors in the sky during this time of day. The 3rd shot is a long exposure of a boat on the Rhine River with a full moon creating tons of light. If you know me I love reflections and you can see the reflection of the boat in the water.
Next we move to the vineyards in Rudesheim where you can see the grapes lined up. It is a great hike from the bottom of the town to the top of the vineyards and their is a great wine hike as you pass through each vineyard where you can taste the wine. Check out this panoramic shot from the top of Rudesheim.
I pulled off next to a train station for what looked like a good shot of Gutenfels Castle, a medieval castle in Kaub, Germany. I found a puddle and of course had to get the reflection shot.
Next I kept driving down the river and saw a perfect shot of Bacharach directly across from Kaub. I took my car on a ferry to cross the river as I drove to Cologne.
I am not sure what part of the Rhine is here below as I stopped randomly on the autobahn to take a quick shot.
Here is a panoramic shot of Burg Pfalz, Rhine Valley, Germany.
The last stop in Cologne allowed some nice images at night. It was raining hard for hours so I just took a break and ate some Doner. After the rain well it was time to go out and look for some nice reflections and taking some long exposure shots of the Dom Cathedral.
The 1st shot is a shot of the Hohenzollern Bridge that is located above the Rhine River. Because of the rain there is a nice wet look to the base of the bridge. It took me an hour but I finally found the reflection I was looking for. I haven’t seen a photo from this angle with the bridge and the Dom reflected so I think this was a great find! It pays to be persistent.
Here is one last reflection on the surface behind the Dom Cathedral. And a shot from the front!
Tschuss!