May 24, 2013 - Mosel river Trier to Bernkastel-Kues

May 24 2013 We biked about 45 miles for a total 207 miles. We started the day with breakfast with our AirBNB host Jorg. We discussed some of his work and other topics. He is a Landscape Architect and enjoys his work. He is currently working in Luxembourg. He particularly likes to lead hikes in the Eifel area along the Mosel river. We then headed downstream. On the Mosel river. The first part between Trier and Schweich is rather un interesting, but beyond it was. Plenty of vineyards filled the hills above the river. Still early in the...

May 16, 2013 - Dusseldorf and beyond, some......

May 16 2013 Biked about 25 miles today After our arrival in Dusseldorf we gathered up all our belongings and took the train from the airport to the Hauptbahnhof. We were looking for the " official" Tourist Information booth to figure out where we wanted to rent our bikes. We were directed to the Rad station at the bahnhof. They were very helpful adjusting and helping us with these brand new "city bikes". They are 8 speed hybrid bikes with 32 c wheels and coaster brake. Very nice bikes. After some gear adjustment, we headed for the Rhine...

May 8, 2013 - Germany

From Amsterdam we headed into Germany, after some long discussions we decided to head off the beaten track as Berlin was too far away in the wrong direction and places like Munich weren't places we wanted to go to. So we decided that we would try and see the real Germany. We drove south east and ended up in a city called Koblenz, it's where the Mosel River meets the mighty Rhine, a very picturesque place built around the rivers. Our hotel was right in the middle of the city so we walked out the door and were right in the thick of things,...

Apr 29, 2013 - Lahnstein, Germany

A nice sunny start today so we took an early morning walk into the town which is right on the junction of the Lahn and the Rhine. Really lovely spot with a castle on the hill above the town on one bank and a church perched on top of the hill on the other side of the Lahn. I had located a couple of geocaches in the town last night on the internet site and we did manage to find one this morning on a sign post on the bank of the river. It was a tiny metal canister with a magnet which allowed it to be stuck on the metal sign post & hidden...

Apr 3, 2013 - Koblenz, Germany

Up early for breakfast and took tour bus ride the the Marksburg Castle. More climbing. We had a very interesting 2-hour tour, ending with the torture chamber. I've got more pictures of the inside of the castle but need to figure out how to get them off my camera. Back to the ship for traditional German food lunch. I'm learning to love this german beer, too! We cruised all afternoon through the winding castle area of the river. Amazing! Took a nap and back to the lounge, then dinner. After dinner, they brought a german glass-blowing expert...

Dec 23, 2012 - Hamburg return

as ever think was closed for winter in koblenz i got a day pass 5.30 euros a day for 2 days well worth it the city only has 110000 people but has a very good bus service and went ever where they either had a few old 202s. the trip back to hamburg was far better was in a 6 seat compartment with no dogs and the sun was out and saw the Germany like you see in the books i had a window seat but was facing backwards so didn't get to take photos. the weather in hamburg is cold and snowing and the room i have this time is cold but the bathroom is...

Dec 16, 2012 - Koblenz

The fast train to Koblenz was bit of a insight to the German mide when i book the ticket it was highly recommended to pay the 4 euros to reserve a seat which i did as it was a 6 hour trip. Just as well i did their was 640 seats 620 of these where reserved but they sold 700 tickets so people get on and off and the people sitting in what was a free seat now find then self having to give it up as it is now become a reserved seat what a mess. My 2nd person next to me was a bitch with a dog which keep tying to bite me i graped hold of the bog...

Oct 11, 2012 - Speyer and Heidelberg

Arrived in Germersheim early this morning. Ate a very light breakfast and then set out on a the bus to Speyer for a walking tour. We visited the cathedral there and the remains of a very early Jewish Synagoue which was very interesting. We then had lunch in town which was interesting. Richard ordered what looked like a pizza and when he asked for pepperoni the waitress kept asking if he was sure. When it came it was covered with hot peppers as over here pepperoni is salami! He ate the meal after we all had a good laugh and removed the...

Oct 10, 2012 - Sailing by the many Castles and to Ruidesheim

Sorry this entry is late but I got bitten by a stomach virus yesterday. Left Bopard yesterday morning for sailing down the part of the Rhine where a large majority of the castles are located. The moring was very foggy so it took a little while for the fog to lift and for us to be able to see the castles. There are some pictures attached of castles and some of the villages we sailed by The castles are quite spectacular. We docked in Ruidesheim and after lunch we were supposed to go into town for a little exploring and wine tasting. I didn't...

Sep 15, 2012 - Rhine Cruise

We woke from a very relaxed sleep early enough to go on a cruise along the Rhine. There was one cruise liner which would take you from Koblenz all the way down to Rudesheim, where you could spend an hour and then catch a boat back. This would however have us gone for about 13hrs, departing Koblenz at 9am and returning at 10pm. So, we decided that we'd go as far as Bacharach, as this would take us just past the Lorelay Rock. We had to take the car over the river as we'd run a bit short of time to walk there. We found a park and walked around...

Sep 14, 2012 - Side trip to Burg Eltz

Woke up this morning and had a nice breakfast of cold cuts and cheese on bread. It was quite a contrast to the lovely meal last night, but I probably didn't need to put anymore food in my mouth anyway. We packed up the room soon after breakfast, and elected to take our own bags down to the car. The hard bit was bringing them up, so taking them down the steep driveway wasn't too bad. Ali elected to drive to our first stop for the day. I had previously suggested we use today to take a short (30-40min) drive to Koblenz, and check into the...

Sep 14, 2012 - To Koblenz

Unfortunately I was wrong about the way to Koblenz from Burg Eltz. We didn't come back along the Mosel at all. As a matter of fact we went inland for quite a while, then drove into Koblenz from the North. I was completely surprised and disappointed, as I thought it was a let down from the beautiful views we'd had in the morning. What we did get though, which we hadn't in the morning, was several sightings of birds of prey. We noticed several times that they were flying overhead, and Ali spend a great deal of time trying to catch them with...