October 13 - Lower Rhine

Sorry for the delay in posting to the blog, but the internet coverage is inconsistent and it is impossible to keep a connection here while in the Moselle valley.

Today we continued our trip up the Rhine towards the Moselle River.  For the first time in a couple of days the sun came out and it was very pleasant.

Our first stop was the city of Bonn.  Bonn was the capital of West Germany from 1947 until the early 1990’s.  Bonn lost it status as the capital with the reunification of the Germany, when Berlin became Germany’s capital city.   It has maintained a small federal presence with 6 government departments still headquartered here.   Beethoven was born here and we went to his childhood house.  It is still standing which  is a bit of a miracle given that most of the city was destroyed during  the second world war.

For lunch we stopped at a deli for some sandwiches and a drink.  The lady behind the counter did not speak any English and of course we know no German.  So I pointed to a sandwich and laughed.  She laughed in agreement and placed it on my plate.  It turned out to be “Spam” and onions.  Oh well better luck next time.

Continuing down the river we were able to view the massive government guest house, where foreign heads of state stayed.  It is high up in the hills and would be very secure.  A little while later we passed the town of Remagen, where the Allies captured the bridge and were finally able to establish a beachhead of the German side of the Rhine.  This was the beginning of the end for Nazis on the western front.

During dinner I’ve started to have the after dinner digestive drink of the day.  Today it was a liqueur called Underberg, which is blend of 57 herbs.  It tasted like Buckley’s cough syrup and smelled worse.  I also had a shot of Feigling which was tasty. 

During the evening we stopped in Koblenz.  This city is at the mouth of the Moselle river, where it runs into the Rhine.  After a stroll through the town centre, we went for some beers and wine at local bar.  To quote Rocky it was spectacular.

Hello, Marg here.  I’m  really enjoying this trip, it’s a trip of a lifetime.  Sorry I haven’t been involved in writing the blog, because Brian is doing it late at night and I’m always too tired from the day’s  activities. But last night Brian had one too many beers  and he fell asleep the minute his head hit the pillow. So this is the reason the blog is late.

I’m enjoying this river cruise because while traveling from one location to another there is always scenery to watch.  On an Ocean Cruise all there is  to watch is water between ports.  Because this boat has only 166 passengers,  I can meet a new best friend every day.  We have met lots of people and I am having lots of fun.  I met Harold Hughes at the museum in Amsterdam.  He introduced me to his wife Penny as his new friend.  He also invited us to look them up if we ever go back to Limington England.  

I loved  city of Amsterdam. Our hotel was in the middle of town so we could walk or take the streetcar everywhere.  Lots of people, bicycles, mopeds and cars.  I came close to being rundown by a moped.  The walk light turned green and I started to go when I heard Brian and some lady behind me gasped.  I took a look and stopped dead in my tracks. So I am still alive and enjoying our trip.

Pictures of the Rhine River

Pictures of Bonn

Pictures of Koblenz