Oct 1

We woke up in Koblenz, Germany this morning.

View from ship

The weather was ugly, drizzling rain, foggy and a bit cool. Perfect for an early morning visit to an ancient castle high on a hill. Armed with umbrellas we walked to buses to be taken to the Marksburg Castle, a 700 year old fortress just outside (and above) Koblenz.  We rode for 1/2 hour, exited the buses and trudged up a long hill in the rain where we walked over treacherously uneven and very wet stone paths to enter the castle and through the courtyard.

The castle was interesting and had a beautiful garden and a view that would have been magnificent if it hadn't been obscured by fog.

Note river far below

Interestingly, as we left, the parking lot was filling with visitors despite worsening rain, families with children, backpackers, and most interesting a family with two children, mother and father and a COCKATOO sitting on the father's arm….this possibly the highpoint of the morning!I

I tried very hard to zoom this to show the cockatoo better.....no luck.

We returned by bus to our ship which had moved to a different site where we waited for 30 minutes for the mooring to be completed and I had a nice walk in the rain with my umbrella enjoying the view of the castle we had just visited.

Waiting to board

The afternoon was spent cruising along the Rhine looking at the castles along the way. We passed the Lorelei, the statue erected on the rocks where legend has it that the Lorelei lured sailors with her song to crash on the rocks.

The Lorelei

Late in the afternoon the sky cleared and the sun came out as we arrived at Rudesheim, a beautiful little town that was attractive despite being ridiculously touristy.

There is a funicular going to the top of the hill behind the town. We tried to buy tickets. It was 5 PM and we were told that there would only be a trip to the top but we would have to walk down! What??? No funicular ride to the top for us and we returned to the ship for our usual terrific dinner and early bed.