Guten Tag Sweet Friends!

I got busted this morning for not posting anything; but the last several days I have been hard at work planning Ty’s visit in August. I had to wait for my residency to be determined before I could book anything, so once that was done I went to work booking our cruise and trips to Athens and Rome. So, I’ve been in front of my computer visiting every travel website on the web researching, reviewing, and booking. Whew! So much to see and so little time.

Finally, on Wednesday, it was such a pretty day we decided to get out of the house and take a river cruise. The KD boats pass continuously past our window and sadly we have not taken advantage of one. Of course, the weather is just now warm enough (in my opinion) to even consider being outside on a boat! So we took a train south to Koblenz (upriver since the river flows north) and bought a day ticket on the KD boat that continues south towards Mainz. This is the middle Rhine and is considered to be the most scenic with lots of castles,villages and vineyards along the way. I was most impressed with the woman at the KD ticket booth. She spoke German, Spanish, English, French, Portuguese and Dutch. Jeez!!! And she’s working as a ticket seller in Koblenz. In the states, she could probably be working at some big corporation pulling down big bucks, but here speaking that many languages is fairly common. But she was so friendly and helpful and full of life that she deserves a special mention and shout out!!

It was sunny and warm so we chose a seat outside on the front of the boat. I’m sure that has a name but I don’t know what it is, so I call it the “I’m king of the world” point. Think Titanic, the movie. Once we got going, many of the German women whipped off their tops to lounge on the deck in their bras. Unfortunately, I don’t own a bra nor did I wear my bikini top, so I had to make due by rolling up my t-shirt sleeves. I’ll know next time!

We passed castle after castle, village after village, with commentary in several languages along the way. We also had a map of the river that offered names and a brief history of each castle along the way. Many are now in ruins after several wars and much pillaging, but a few have been restored and are now hotels or museums. Marksburg for example is open to the public and can be toured. One of the castles is now a falcon and bird sanctuary! Many of the castles, almost all in fact, were built in the 12th century. It is amazing to see how much of the original structures remain intact.

The cruise is a slow float up the Rhine, against the current, so it takes about 6 hours to cover less than 50 miles; but it was a beautiful day to be outside, and I so enjoyed the sun and the warmth! We hopped off the boat in Bergin and caught a 9 PM train back to Koln. We made it back to the house after 11 PM, so it was a long day in the sun, but totally worth it!

I hope you are cruisin’ through your week and enjoying your journey my friends!!! Be sure to check out the new pix under Photos-Rhine River Cruise.

🙂