t's hard to believe there is still so much of the Rheingau we have not explored in the almost three years that we have lived here. With the heat we had on Sunday, we figured heading to the river - at least for Bailey's sake - and doing a little exploring was a good idea.
On the road, we decided Eltville was the place to stop since there was both town and river to be enjoyed. Surprisingly, we had never spent time in this little town. Not so surprisingly, it was as charming and lovely as most other old towns in the area - cobblestone streets, classic half-timbered architecture, a castle dating back hundreds and hundreds of years. You know, just your average town in Germany.
The shade in and around the castle was a welcome respite from the 30°C temperatures and blinding sun, not only for us, but for our poor dog stuck in her permanent black fur coat. Lucky for her, a dip in the river was in store. Unlucky for us, she wouldn't sit still long enough for us to enjoy the lovely benches in the shade along the river for fear of the boats and waterskis going past. What dog is afraid of boats? She was whining, visibly shaking and trying to back up into the bench to get away from such a frightening sight. I have to laugh out loud at people on the street who only see a big black dog and steer clear, afraid of an animal who is afraid of things like car doors shutting and Rolladen (the modern-day answer to shutters). So alas, our big baby kept us from enjoying a glass of wine from the little wine stand along the river that afternoon.
We made up for it when we got home to our cool apartment by having a glass of Sekt spiked with some delicious apricot-lime liquor from a local shop. Add to that my favorite chicken tacos, a funny movie and root beer floats (another Edeka find - seriously, it's been years!) and it was the perfect way to end a lovely weekend.
Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische
