Rhine Cruise

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Camped across the Mosel River at the section where the Mosel meets the Rhine. Very crowded. Found food and relaxed the remainder of the day. Got ice cream and went to sleep. Noticed camera was broken today-oh no. Next morning we left camp set up and decided to explore the Mosel River by train and to see Luxembourg. We also looked into fixing the camera. We caught the train at 6am but we had to run from our camp, which was on the other side of the river. Barely made it. Saw the quaint little villages as RS calls them and slept the boring parts. Got to Luxembourg and went to one camera store after another. All said fixing was no option. Looked into buying a camera. Town was cool-set on a hill with a castle. Sat in a courtyard and Eric took the original camera apart to try and fix it. Did not work. Started pouring down rain, bought a new camera. Tried to run back to the train station, missed the train, sat at train station while I moped. Eric hit the old camera while I played with my new camera. Old one was fixed! Went back and shot pictures. WE both fell asleep on the way back to Koblenz so we missed our stop to see a castle along the way. When we got back we walked all over the Koblenz area. We had our first magnums on the way back to camp. Missed the little boat back so we had to walk all the way around. The trip down the Rhine on the tour boat was an enjoyable way to see the sights, mostly castles and countryside.
After the Rhine, we shot back up to Koln to visit Rachelle's brother who was living there at the time. We walked through the Koln cathedral and went to lunch and the zoo with her brother. This zoo was different from any zoo you would see in the States. People could easily walk right up to the animals with minimal natural barriers. From there, took train to Frankfurt where we stayed in a hostel. Left early next morning to get to the bus station for tickets along the "Romantic Road"...an all day bus ride that was a real disappointment.

Where the Mosel meets the Rhine

Small town along the Rhine

Towns along the Rhine

Farming along the Rhine

More castles viewed from the Rhine cruise

Churches and castles

Camping along the Rhine

The cruise was a bit slow paced at times

There are many Rhine Cruises from one day to multiple days. If your time is short, consider a one day trip down the most popular section of the Rhine. The Mittelrhein (Middle Rhine) section of the Rhine Valley between Bingen and Koblenz is the most beautiful with the narrowest valley and steepest hillsides. It is also the most castles every mile or two.

Luxembourg is a landlocked country bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. Luxembourg has a population of over half a million people. They are a representative democracy with a constitutional monarch, ruled by a Grand Duke. It is the world's only remaining sovereign Grand Duchy. Its historic and strategic importance dates back to its founding as a Roman era fortress site and Frankish count's castle site in the Early Middle Ages.

Koln is on the Rhine, the fourth largest city in Germany and the oldest. Koln was founded in 30 BC by the Romans. The most impressive building in Koln is the Koln Cathedral which is the headquarter of Roman Catholic Archbishopric. It's right next to the train station if you are passing through. Visitors can ascend the south tower of the Cathedral which offers good views of the city and the bridges across the Rhine River.

The Romantic Road is a term used to describe the stretch of highway in southern Germany (in Bavaria and Baden-Worttemberg), between Wurzburg and Fussen. This region possess "quintessentially" German scenery and culture. Several towns are typically stopped at along the way like Nordlingen, Dinkelsb�hl and Rothenburg. The route also passes the famous Neuschwanstein Castle.

Rhine castle complex

Our camp on the Rhine

Touring a Rhine Castle

Rhine Cruise, Koln & Frankfurt Germany

Koln

Luxembourg

Romantic Road