Rüdesheim Seilbahn & Niederwalddenkmal

I've learned that a fun day has three components: you see something interesting, you learn something new, and you eat good food. Our day trip to Rüdesheim included all three.

Using our "9-Euro tickets," we rode the RB10 S-Bahn train west. There, we joined the crowds of people hiking up toward the Seilbahn cable cars. For the four of us, round-trip tickets were $30.
Germany has been experiencing a drought this year, so the water level of hte Rhine River is low in this picture. You can tell by the tree line of that island how high it normally is.

The Rheingau region is famous for its Riesling wines. Here's a picture both with and without my daughter enjoying the sunshin.
From the cable cars, you could distinguish all the individual plants and see what kind of grapes they had. In this picture you can see how the Rhine is used for cruises and transportation,/ Across the river is the town of Bingen.

This is the Niederwalddenkmal, a monument built to commemorate German unity after the 1870-1871 Franco-Prussian War.
The slope of the hill, the pedestal, and height of the statue combine to make for a really impressive sight.
Before the return trip, we stopped for some drinks.

We then headed into Rüdesheim for lunch, and then went back the way we came.