Robo-Rock in Rudesheim

Rudesheim, a beautiful riverside town in Germany, is famous for two things — its popular Brandy-spiked coffee and its mechanical music museum. I enjoyed a nice dose of both when my riverboat cruise stopped there last week.

I've certainly had my share of alcoholic coffee drinks, but Rudesheim Coffee does come with some fireworks (the waitress lights up the brandy to melt sugar cubes before adding the java). Still, it's Siegfried's Mechanical Music Cabinet that offers a truly unique experience with a giant collection of antique mechanical instruments. The museum, known as Siegfried’s Mechanisches Musikkabinett to locals, features everything from old-school record players (only one spin per needle) to multi-instrument, self-playing machines. In fact, there was even a groundbreaking machine that performed an entire orchestra, including several string instruments, that requires an astonishing amount of automation.

As the guide explained, the museum founder spent decades searching out such musical antiques, most of which required years to restore. As you might imagine, there are a limited number of people able to perform (or even interested in) such specialized restoration. This makes Siegfried's a truly unique and fascinating experience.