An old legend – die Loreley – about the Rhine River is that of a mystical maiden who lures boatsmen onto the rocks at the narrowest point of the river between Mainz and the Netherlands.

To rid herself of the curse of bringing misfortune to the boatsmen traversing the Rhine, the maiden jumps to her death on the rocks at the banks of the Rhine. The view from the cliff where the maiden is supposed to have jumped is spectacular on a sunny day. The cliff of the Loreley is about 430 feet high, nearly straight up directly above the Rhine. In the view to the right you are looking north towards Koblenz from St. Goarshausen. At this point the Rhine is at its narrowest and deepest on its long journey from Switzerland to the Atlantic in the Netherlands.

The first stop for Jerry and Mary Ann Aust on the day they arrived in Germany was the Loreley. After having walked up the path from the parking lot to the scenic overlook at the Loreley, it just seemed appropriate for Mary Ann to have her picture taken. She and her husband Jerry were accompanied by our editorial staff member Jesmina Allaoua, who took the picture. For some reason a picture of Jerry posing as the mystical Rhine River maiden, seated on the Loreley perch high above the river, did not seem quite as appropriate under the circumstances. So Mary Ann got the nod on a beautiful day to start off their visit to Germany as our guests at this year’s Feast of Tabernacles convention in the Black Forest.