Being Benedictine

Saturday, June 29—St. Hildegard Abbey, Rhine River cruise

Our pilgrimage has been delightful, but make no mistake, there were still the occasional discomfort and irritation. Our hotel in Rüdesheim had a beautiful view of the Rhine River… and highly traveled train tracks. Yes, we could hear them all night long. But perhaps it was the stifling heat of a European heat wave that was more unbearable. International headlines read “Germany Records All-Time Hottest June Temperature.”

Germany set its all-time highest June temperature on Sunday, with 38.9 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit) recorded in the western state of Rhineland-Palatinate. The country has been baking in an early summer heat wave; however, Germany’s all-time high of 40.3 degrees Celsius still stands.

It is very, very hot. But what most Americans do not realize is that there are few homes or establishments that have air-conditioning in Germany. It just does not get this hot. Fortunately, I packed a portable fan that I blew into my face all night long. Alright, enough complaining….

We start our day with a drive to Hildegard von Bingen’s Abbey, high over the Rhine valley. The Church and grounds captured the spirit of the great mystic, theologian, composer, herbalist, pharmacist, negotiator, peacekeeper, and one of the first female doctors of the Church, Hildegard of Bingen. We hear from one of the sisters, celebrated Mass, and had time to wander the grounds and the gift shop. There was a peaceful, feminine, authentic sacredness about this Abbey.

After our visit to the Abbey, we went back into the valley to enjoy a boat trip along the Rhine River to St. Goar.

We ended the day with dinner at an authentic German restaurant. Our waiter was delightful as he attempted to act out our menu choices.We had no idea what we were ordering, but this is what we got.