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Day 12 - Middle Rhine River Cruising, Braubach, Germany, and Koblenz, Germany
Middle Rhine River scenic cruising: Often called the Romantic Rhine, the Rhine River flows through one of Germany's scenic regions. During this cruise, we passed vineyard-blanketed hills with steep slopes that require vintners to pick grapes by hand, keeping a century-old tradition alive. We admired splendid castles and dramatic rocks along tall banks. The most famous rock was the Lorelei Rock located at a dramatic curve of the river. The legend of the Lorelei is the river maiden mesmerized sailors with her song and lured them to their demise at her feet.
Klobenz is a traditional German country town at the confluence of the RhineMoselle Rivers. Founded more than 2,000 years ago, this former trading settlement rests on a massif of the Middle Rhine Highlands.
Marksburg Castle has watched over the town of Braubach since the 13th century. This castle is the only castle in the Rhine Valley to have never been destroyed. Because it was built with strong fortifications, it was never besieged by enemies. From the grounds, we enjoyed views of Braubach, the Rhine River, and the surrounding countryside.
Marksburg Castle has watched over the town of Braubach since the 13th century. This castle is the only castle in the Rhine Valley to have never been destroyed. Because it was built with strong fortifications, it was never besieged by enemies. From the grounds, we enjoyed views of Braubach, the Rhine River, and the surrounding countryside.
Day 13 - Cologne Germany - An intriguing mix of old and new, Cologne reveals its Roman heritage in its city layout and the ancient ruins that lie scattered through the town. Cologne is the fourth most populous city in Germany.
This church is one of the biggest churches in Europe. The locals call it the Dome Church but the official name is St. Peter's Cathedral. This church claims to have the bones of the three kings (the Magi) and they get a lot of pilgrims coming by to pay homage. We were here on a weekend so the traffic was very active and we never made it inside the church.
Evening excursion: Cologne's Beer Culture Dinner. (Also known as a Pub Crawl). We started the tour with dinner and beer in a very crowded pub. After a traditional German dinner and beer, we walked to two other pubs to sample the beer. Cologne has a total of 26 different types of Kölsch beer. Each brewery creates their own version and that is the only beer that they serve. They serve it in 7 oz. glasses so it stays fresh and cold. When you are done drinking, you have to cover your glass with a coaster or the köbe (server) will keep refilling your drink.
Day 14: Scenic Cruising: Waal & Merwede and Kinderdijk, Netherlands
Our last excursion was a tour of the Kinderdijk windmills. Kinderdijk has the largest concentration of windmills in the Netherland. Built in the 19th century, these 19 windmills stand like sentinels on a hushed landscape. We walked with our guide into the serene polder lands of South Holland. As we crossed the dike to the windmills, we noticed that they are in fact lower in elevation than our ship. The windmills are used mostly to pump water out of the land to the canals which are then drained into the river. They still do some food grinding but the windmills now are used mostly for water management. Most of the area shown here is below sea level. Unfortunately it rained the whole time we were here. This was really the only bad weather we had the entire trip.
Our last excursion was a tour of the Kinderdijk windmills. Kinderdijk has the largest concentration of windmills in the Netherland. Built in the 19th century, these 19 windmills stand like sentinels on a hushed landscape. We walked with our guide into the serene polder lands of South Holland. As we crossed the dike to the windmills, we noticed that they are in fact lower in elevation than our ship. The windmills are used mostly to pump water out of the land to the canals which are then drained into the river. They still do some food grinding but the windmills now are used mostly for water management. Most of the area shown here is below sea level. Unfortunately it rained the whole time we were here. This was really the only bad weather we had the entire trip.
Day 15: Amsterdam, Netherlands
Overnight we sailed in Amsterdam and from there were dropped off at the airport. What we should have done is elected to stay a couple extra days in Amsterdam. Another interesting note about this trip is the 60 locks from Budapest to Amsterdam. These are used to even out the rivers to make them much easier to go from one end to the other. Overall this was a great experience for both of us and we are sure that more of these trips will be coming.
Overnight we sailed in Amsterdam and from there were dropped off at the airport. What we should have done is elected to stay a couple extra days in Amsterdam. Another interesting note about this trip is the 60 locks from Budapest to Amsterdam. These are used to even out the rivers to make them much easier to go from one end to the other. Overall this was a great experience for both of us and we are sure that more of these trips will be coming.
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