Sep 24 - Koblenz, Germany
Today we have reached the Rhine River, the most scenic river on our journey. We spent a good part of the day ‘scenic cruising’. Vineyards cover the hills on either side, castles sit perched on the hilltops, and small towns are nestled at the bottom of the hills with easy access to the roads and train tracks.
Katz Castle in Sankt Goar
Shortly after our arrival in Koblenz we headed out for our excursion to the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress. set high on a hill with magnificent views of Koblenz, at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle Rivers. Ehrenbreitstein Fortress has long enjoyed a strategic locale, built on the site of a previous fortress whose history stretched back to 1100. The citadel was constructed in the early 19th century to protect against the French.
We took a gondola to the hilltop for our fun and informative tour with our costumed and colorful actor/guide who took on the persona of John Humfrey, a lieutenant colonel in the British Corps of Royal Engineers. He guided us through this excellent example of Prussian military fortifications.
The gondola ride back to the ship gave us a bird’s eye view of the city and our ship, docked beside the Viking Sigyn. The ships sometimes dock side by side and we have to walk through the one closest to the dock to get in and out. In the photo below, we are on the outside and had to go through the Sigyn parked alongside the dock.
It was an interesting afternoon.
Time is running out! We’ve had great guides and great tours.
Until next time…
The Tired Travellers
Absolutely beautiful scenery. We saw ships docked beside each other like that in Bordeaux and wondered how they entered the outside one!
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