Rhein in Flames - Bonn

We went to the Rhein in Flames in Bonn at the beginning of May... but it has taken me awhile to get around to talking about it. My blog was suppose to be more interesting... After our Easter parade I had to work, but the weekend following my working we were suppose to go to Augsburg and explore the middle section of the Romantic Road (the stretch we didn't see in January). But, our kitty got sick, and I didn't want to leave him unattended for a weekend while he recooperated. I am glad to say the kitty is now back to his normal self. I am bummed we missed out on a trip, but at the same time, I am okay with it too. Priorities. My priority was my cat. After our flubbed travel weekend, we had signed up to go see the Rhein in Flames at Bonn through base (more on that in a second)...  Then I went to a dental conference. Then I worked some more. So. I've been meaning to share for awhile now... just... other priorities such as being lazy and watching movies.

A friend of mine went on a Rhein in Flames river cruise last year and had a lot of good things to say about it. We went on a Rhein river cruise with my parents when they came to visit a few years ago and enjoyed it. The Rhein in Flames is an event which occurs multiple times in different areas throughout the spring/summer along the Rhein River. Villages will light up in red as if they are "aflame" and there are different celebrations and fireworks displays in villages along the river, followed by one large fireworks display in the main city (the "host" city - for us it was Bonn). My friend had done the river cruise through base and said it was convenient, so we used a base trip. Bonn is the first Rhein in Flames event of he year. We met on base in the later afternoon and rode a bus two hours north to Bonn. We were given "free time," but our free time was under an hour. We haven't been to Bonn, but this wasn't enough time to explore the city. Instead we killed 45 minutes walking along the river edge. It was a beautiful day.

After our walk we met back with our tour group to board our boat. Our boat was full of many groups - there were signs in the lobby of the boat directing you to which area your group was sitting. We sat at a table with a husband and wife who are civilians working at our base, and their daughter and her fiance were visiting. The boat got started up the river and we were served dinner. Our dinner was carrot soup, chicken, mashed potatoes, and vegetables. After dinner, we went out on deck to find a place to sit near the railing. It seemed everyone else had this idea too, because the deck quickly became crowded. We were lucky and got there right before the crowd, so we had chairs to sit. The sun was starting to set, which made for beautiful scenery as we cruised up the river. We passed by villages next to the river, and there were crowds gathering along the riverbanks. Our boat made it to the stopping point - we were one of about 50 boats. It was interesting to see so many boats so close together on the river - I'm sure watching the boats move down the river together from the river bank is a sight.

By this time it was almost dark, and the lead boat started the cruise down the river. We slowly passed by the villages we had gone by earlier. Now, as it got darker, some of the bigger structures in the villages (such as the churches or bridges) were lit up with red lights. As we would approach the villages, fireworks would start. I had thought our boat would either drive slowly down the river, or that it would stop at each village. But, it didn't. So instead of seeing continuous firework displays, we would only see a few fireworks here or there. As the boat went on, the crowd on the deck got smaller. It was early May, and although it had been a pretty day, it was cold out on the deck. I had worn pants and had on a jacket, gloves, and a hat and I was still a bit too cold. But despite the cold, Josh and I had a fun evening sitting relatively alone watching the villages slip by.

About an hour and a half later, we made it to Bonn. All of the boats clustered together again for the main fireworks display. The fireworks show was really neat, and lasted about a half hour. After it was done, our boat returned to the dock, we got back on our bus, and went back to base. We got home very late that night - around  3 AM - so the next day was a lazy day for us. We enjoyed our Rhein in Flames evening. Despite the cold, it was interesting to see. I think I enjoyed the Rhein cruise we did with my parents better as we were able to see more, but I'm glad we had a chance to experience this event as well.