Sunday, November 3, 2019

This morning we were in Rüdesheim, Germany which is a wine town.  We rode a tram into town.

Our first stop was at Siegfried’s Mechanical Cabinet Museum.  It was fun listening to the various automated instruments and pianos.

We walked down the narrow street, the Drosselgasse, which was lined with many taverns and cafes.

Dave and others from our group tried the coffee, Rüdesheimer Kaffee.

It is an alcoholic coffee drink from Rüdesheim.  It was invented over 60 years ago.  They use Asbach Uralt brandy and sugar cubes added to a cup.  They flambee the brandy and stir for a minute until the sugar dissolves.  Then they add strong coffee and top it with whipped cream sweetened with vanilla sugar.  Chocolate flakes are scattered onto the cream as a garnish!  You don’t use a spoon to stir it.  You drink it through the cream.  I’m not a coffee drinker but my one sip wasn’t bad at all with that sweetened cream added!

This afternoon we cruised along the Romantic part of the Rhine with many castles!  We stayed on the top deck of the ship to look at the castles and the small quaint towns that we passed.

Stahleck Castle

Pfalzgrafenstein Castle in Kaub, Germany

We passed a 433 foot high steep slate rock with the legend of Lorelei.  There is the legend of a beautiful maiden.  There are various versions of this legend.  She would sit atop the Lorelei rock formation and serenade sailors with her singing. Sailors would be lured by her voice and they would crash at the rugged rocks!  Just pass the cliff is a bronze female figure of her.

Later on we veered from the Rhine to the Moselle River and stopped in Koblenz!

Koblenz is situated on the banks of the Rhine and the Moselle.  We had a walking tour of the historic sites of Koblenz.

Below is the Memorial of Emperor Wilhelm I located at the Deutsches Eck (where the Moselle river joins the Rhine river).  This memorial was unveiled in 1897.  He was the first German Emperor and played a role in the unification of Germany.

Our guide pointed out the flooding that is marked on the corner of the wall.  If you go online and search Koblenz, Germany floods you can see some aerial images that show how much of the town was underwater!

Outside the Ludwig Museum was “Le Pouce” made by César is this huge thumb sculpture.  The thumb is 6 feet tall and made of bronze.  On the other side of the thumb is a fingerprint.

The Basilica of St. Castor is the oldest church in Koblenz and since 2002 it has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage.  We were unable to view the inside of the Basilica because mass was being held.

You can see the Tower Clock and below the clock the Augenroller who sticks out his tongue every half hour and rolls his eyes!  This building was once the old town hall and is now an art gallery.

The town clock in Saint Florin’s market.

Every half hour the eye-rolling face below the clock sticks out its tongue to mock the citizens of Koblenz.

Below is the Liebfrauenkirche (Church of Our Lady), a catholic church built in the 5th century in Koblenz.

The Jesuitenplatz (Jesuit Square) is located in the heart of the Old Town of Koblenz.  It got its name from the Jesuits that were in the area from 1580 to 1773.

In the middle of the square is the memorial to the Koblenz physiologist & anatomist, Johannes Miller, erected in 1899.

Jesuitenplatz in Old Town Koblenz

We saw the town icon statue of “The Spitting Boy”.  This fountain, Schängelbrunnen, has a little boy that sporadically spits on people passing by!  Check out the fountain below!

The Schängelbrunnen fountain in Willi-Hörter-Platz.

A close up of the boy on the statue.

The base of the statue depicts young boys doing other mischief!

Our walking tour was cut short because the rain was really pouring and it was difficult to see anything with the rain and the dark skies!