TUESDAY, APRIL 15, 2014 - KOBLENZ, GERMANY, RHINE GORGE & LORELEI ROCK, RUDESHEIM, GERMANY

During the night we sailed down the river to our next stop, Koblenz, Germany and were docked there when we awakened in the morning.  Our 1.5 hour tour, a Guided Walking Tour of Koblenz began at 8:30 a.m.  (NOTE:  On this tour and one other,  my ship-supplied connection for headset malfunctioned and I could not hear the guide).
One of the first items we saw on the tour was this statute honoring Peter Altmeier, a German politician (Minister-President) 1947-1969. 

 

These are pieces of the Berlin Wall.

The Rhine River as the Mosel River joins it at Koblenz

On a bluff where the two rivers converge together is this "German Corner" that is dominated by the equestrian statue of Kaiser Wilhelm I (1797-1888).

 

 

There's lots of river activity including cable cars that transport people from one bank to the other.

The skyline of the city

 

 

And, as in all of Europe, the churches are not to be missed.

I think this has some link to the Rule of Thumb, but since I was unable to hear the guide I do not have the complete information.  I believe this is part of the whimsical statues that are seen throughout the city.

 

Church towers

beautiful flowers

 

church

tulips

our guide as he explains the statue & fountain in square

Showing examples of narrow streets in the older sections of town.

 

Inside of church

 

This clock on the bell tower of the old Koblenz Customs and Dancing Hall is referred to as the "Eyeball Roller".  It has an augenroller that makes the eyes move from side to side in time with the swinging of the pendulum and when it strikes for the half hour and the hour, the tongue sticks out.   (shown in lower of the 2 photos) 

And, a statue of Peppemintzia, a woman who bought food for cats & dogs and danced on tables.  This is another of the whimsical statues.

 

 

At shortly after 10 a.m. we returned to the ship and by 10:15 a.m. were all aboard to sail through the Rhine Gorge, past Lorelei Rock and finally to Rudesheim, Germany.

 

 

At approximately 1:30 p.m. we entered the area referred to as the "Rhine Gorge  and Lorelei Rock".  Steep slopes, pretty vineyards, half-timbered villages, and fairy-tale like medieval castles fill this area. 

 

As we moved down the Rhine River we were very impressed by the evidence of "holiday" much like the states.  It was "Easter Week" (days prior to Easter Sunday) and for many in Europe a time off work to take a holiday.  Below, the recreation vehicles parked along the river.

Besides the RV's, along the banks are villages of homes and churches

 

Below, the first of many castles:  Stolzenfels Castle just south of Koblenz, 13th century ruins restored in 1836

 

 

And many more homes along the banks.

I was impressed with this skyline but not sure of the name of this place.

I noted the US flag posted here.

And a Texas flag flying here.

 

 

 

And, another castle, Reinfels Castle, once the biggest fortress of Middle Rhine, 13th century, above St. Goar, has underground galleries, museum, hotel, and restaurant.

A very colorful train passed through the area.

A portion of the castle shown above appears to be in ruins.

 

Colorful building line the bank.

A river boat called "Loreley-Line"

Lorelei is a rock on the eastern bank of the Rhine near St. Goarshausen, Germany, which soars some 394 feet above the waterline. It marks the narrowest part of the river between Switzerland and the North Sea, and is the most famous feature of the Rhine Gorge.  A very strong current and rocks below the waterline have caused many boat accidents there.  Lorelei is also the name of a feminine water spirit, similar to mermaids or Rhine maidens, associated with this rock in popular folklore and in works of music, art and literature
Here I sat in our balcony cabin and using my iphone played one of my favorite songs, "Lorelei" by Styx; I thought it much more appropriate than the music provided for the occasion by the ship.

Entrance to a train tunnel.

Another train.

Orange church with castle upper left.

The Schonburg Castle is one of the most beautiful on Rhine four floors of rooms - restored 1900-1906. 

 

And more campers on holiday. 

 

Our scheduled arrival time at Rudesheim, Germany was 5:00 p.m. and we were there shortly before that time.  The attraction in Rudesheim for this cruise was a 45 minute guided tour of "Tunes & Tones" at a museum called "Siegfried's Musical Cabinet".  We were quickly taken through this very interesting museum, with many well preserved mechanical musical cabinets. The musical cabinets were shown functioning and the way they operate was detailed. The guide demonstrates that she really loves to show the museum and to explain the details of each machine. 

The Victorian music box (below) caught our attention since friends of ours own a similar one.

 

We own a similar horse that came off a carousel.

 

This is a nice wall hanging brass disc player musical box.

The details of these items are amazing.

 

Note the details of this hanging lamp; very Victorian influence...

This lovely "table" would be a nice addition to our Victorian furniture.

 

Once the tour ended we were invited to a wine tasting of 3 locally produced wines.  We chose to skip this event and as we made our way through the narrow streets we found most of the shops were closed or in the process of closing.  So, we soon returned to the ship.

The schedule called for the ship to sail at 4:45 a.m. on Wednesday for Mainz, Germany.  I assume that schedule was followed when we awakened, we were well on our way down the river.