A short distance above the
mouth of the Ahr we leave its banks, turning to the west, and entering
the mountains at the village of Nieder Breisig. A pretty valley leads
us up through orchards and meadows. The lower hills are covered with
vineyards and the mountains with a dense growth of bushes, so that we
do not obtain an extended view until we reach an elevated ridge.
[Illustration: DISTANT VIEW OF THE VOLCANIC PORTION OF THE EIFEL,
TAKEN FROM THE HEIGHTS OF THE SCHNEIFEL.]
The valley of the Rhine lies far below us, but the glittering surface
of the river, with the little towns, the castles and villas and the
gardens and vineyards on its banks are still visible, while in the
background the mountains of the Westerwald have risen above the hills
on the river. This range stretches out into a long wooded ridge
crowned by cone-shaped peaks of basalt. To the northwest of this lies
Siebengebirge, with its numerous domes and pinnacles, making a grand
picture veiled in the blue mist of distance. On the opposite side we
have a very different view of curious dome and cone shaped summits
surrounded by undulating plateaus or descending into deep ravines and
gorges.
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