Sep 29 - Koblenz

The ship is now docked in Koblenz. Docking space is at a premium here, so se are “double bunked” along side another ship that docked earlier. We will have to go out of our ship, cross through their lobby, and then go up the gangplank to reach street level. It’s a good way to look at other ships. (Our bunk mate looked very, very nice.)

Koblenz is located at the point where that the Moselle River joins the mighty Rhine River. We sailed past the slip of land where this confluence occurs while we ate breakfast. It is called the “German Corner”. The site is dominated by an enormous equestrian statue of Kaiser Wilhem I (1797-1888), the first emperor of Germany after its unification in 1871. The Rhine Gorge was declared a World Heritage Site in 2002, with Koblenz marking the northern end. We will be sailing the most dramatic part of the gorge later this week.

We did a walking tour of Koblenz this morning, ably led a lady by the name of Jorai (pronounced "your eye"). Koblenz was founded in 14 A.D. by the Romans at this strategically important point - they controlled the area for 1000 years. Then there was a conquest by the Franks, a takeover by the French and then domination by the Prussians. Much of the town was badly damaged during WWII but has been rebuilt with history in mind. It is a city of narrow lanes and romantic squares, all lined with cafés and outdoor seating. It was Sunday morning, so the entire city was rather quiet, especially since most stores are closed on Sundays. We saw the medieval St. Florins Church and the lovely Church of Our Lady (a very common name for churches I’ve observed) and the Basilica of St. Castor. The town clock has an “Eye Roller” in it - a comical face that sticks rolls his eyes and sticks out his tongue on the hour. A commentary on the legislative processes that he observes, perhaps? And we saw the Schangël Fountain where an impish boy periodically spits water onto the unsuspecting.

Back at the ship, we watched as the crew “hand bombed” (passed from hand to hand) more food, water, wine and linens. It’s a real team effort to restock this hotel without the use of machines.

We had free time this afternoon. There was the threat of a huge storm but we decided to chance it anyway. We walked around along the quay side of the Rhine, back into the old section of Koblenz, and then back to the ship along the Moselle side. We walked about 6 miles today. We need to do that every day!

I sought technical help about all the trouble I’ve been having uploading pictures. There is no solution- the upload speed is dismal, and in a few days, we are going to lose our internet service all together. So, please be patient - I will do my best to keep you up to date on our adventures, but postings could be delayed several days.Read more