Oh, wow!
We are now on the Mosel River, which veered off from the Rhine River, traveling westward now. Although we have been told that there are more castles on the Rhine than here, but I have to tell you, this is the most scenic, calm area. There is other boat traffic, but not the commercial barges as on the Rhine.
This morning we took a tour of the Cochem castle. This castle dates back to 1100′s, but of course, many restorations have been made to it during the subsequent centuries. The setting is gorgeous, sitting way up on a hill overlooking the town of Cochem.
After the castle tour, we had an opportunity to walk through the town of Cochem, seeing the shops, finding some delicious sausages, beers, pastries. Of course, Frank found his first bratwurst and beer while our tour guide was arranging for all of us to get a taste of curry wurst.
Later, back on board ship, we started traveling again, and we were were so fortunate to have such a lovely day that we were sitting on the sun deck watching the scenery go by.
Our ship went through one lock, and there are more to come, as the Mosel sits in a valley between steep mountains. One reason the wine is so good from here, is that the steep hillsides on either side of the Mosel create a warm microclimate. Tomorrow we get to go to a winery, and do some Mosel wine tasting.
Now we are all crowded into the lounge watching the USA and Germany play in the World Cup. Of course, the commentary is in German, and needless to say, our Program Directors are rooting for Germany, but they have put up USA flags and banners, as well as German. There are 96 of us in the lounge watching the match on one 36 inch screen. We can almost see the action, but it is a fun experience anyway.
I will close with another shot of the hillside vineyards. This whole countryside is so lovely, I highly recommend this cruise as a way to de-stress. If you are not into cruising, we have seen many bicyclists, motorcyclists, and walkers along the roads on either side of the river. It is a wonderful region to explore, and enjoy the calming atmosphere.
We are indeed having a lovely time.
Until tomorrow,
Auf wiedersehn,
Dolly
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