Danube Amadeus Silver - Last Dinner

I am spoiled and I will miss this.

The wine choice for today is
White - 2015 Riesling from Rheinhessen, Germany
Red - 2015 Dornfelder from Rheinhessen, Germany

Shopska Salad
Cucumber, tomato, olives, bell pepper, fresh chop parsley, olive oil topped with shredded feta cheese.

or Beef Carpaccio with parmesan chips, rucola salad and honey mustard sauce.

My soup selection was Yellow Bell Pepper Potage with prawn dumplings.

or Classic Minestrone with tomato broth with pasta, zucchini, kidney beans and eggplant

My main course choice was Sesame Crusted Barramundi Fillet with egg noodles, vegetables and oyster sauce.

or Austrian Flaker Beef Gulch with Spätzle and pickled cucumber
or Stuffed Mushroom with Feta Cheese served with yogurt dip and vegetables, couscous

My desert choice was Crème Brulée Brown Sugar Crust served with fresh berries.

or Fresh Fruits
orCheese Plate

Fun stuff here: http://fineartamerica.com/artists/ladee+rickard

Passau, Germany - Cheers to Favorites

Enjoying the Dom (my favorite), gluhwein, and hot gooey cheese "Raclette" sandwiches. The Church interiors are quick panos with my iPhone. The columns don't really bend like that!

Ladee

www.LadeeTravels.blogspot.com

"There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign." Robert Louis Stevenson

Fun stuff here: http://fineartamerica.com/artists/ladee+rickard

Munich, Germany - Cold and Wet

I was hoping for snow but the day was a little too warm. So, we get cold and wet.

Ladee

www.LadeeTravels.blogspot.com

"There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign." Robert Louis Stevenson

Fun stuff here: http://fineartamerica.com/artists/ladee+rickard

Somewhere Over Germany - Java Republic

I ordered (and paid for) a cup of coffee on British Airlines flight from London to Munich.  Perhaps because there is a charge for the coffee, or perhaps because it is great coffee, I was given "brewed in the cup" coffee.  The lid had a fine filter so that the coffee grounds would not come through.  It was very good.

Ladee

www.LadeeTravels.blogspot.com

"There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign." Robert Louis Stevenson

Fun stuff here: http://fineartamerica.com/artists/ladee+rickard

Danube River - Trip Memory

A friend commissioned this piece. I am so thrilled with it. And she is as well. 24"x48" with all of the stops on the tour. Deep chocolate browns and creamy whites. The colors and tones were designed with the house in mind. There are special memories hidden throughout. A real "Where's Waldo?" Of sights and memories. 

Ladee

www.LadeeTravels.blogspot.com

"There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign." Robert Louis Stevenson

Fun stuff here: http://fineartamerica.com/artists/ladee+rickard

Cologne, Germany - Market Food

Wandering through the markets and I found Belgian waffles and gluhwein! Must taste all of the different goodies!

Amadeus Silver - Captain's Dinner

Many courses tonight with Surf and Turf and grand finale Baked Alaska.

Cologne, Germany - Dom Cathedral

City tour description from the tour brochure: During the city walk you can explore the surroundings of the famous cathedral and the old town.  Many attractions are concentrated here, in just one square kilometer around the cathedral, the town hall and the old town with its large Romanesque Church of St. martin. You can take a look at the Roman Dionysus mosaic.  In the narrow, cobble streets of the old town and in the squares, such as Roncalliplatz, the old market or the hay market, you will get a feeling for life in this city, both past and present.  Of course you can take a look at the inside of the Cologne Cathedral accompanied by your guide.  The Cologne Cathedral is the most frequently visited sight in Germany.

Duration approximately 2.5 hours. Walking grade: Moderate walking tour, you may need to climb some stairs.  Price 17 euros / $17.72

I took a lot of photos with my other camera and will post later. This is from my iPhone. One of just the bottom and then a vertical pano. The Dom is so tall that the photo is a little screwy!!

Also a little relaxation in the afternoon because the excursions to the National Park Seibengebirge and Drachenfels, and the city walk of Königswinter were cancelled. 65 euro / $67.70 refunded from the prepaid tour package.  Not enough people on the cruise ship signed up for this afternoon tour.

Amadeus Silver - Wednesday Dinner

I am going to miss this!

Koblenz, Germany - Fortress Ehrenbreitstein

Fortress Ehrenbreitstein - open for tours year round.  There are steps or a chair lift to get up to the fortress. There are two restaurants on the terraces that provide an excellent view.

http://www.loreley-info.com/eng/rhein-rhine/castles/ehrenbreitstein.php

Rhein River - Marksburg Castle and Stolzenfels Palace

Burg Marksburg - This castle has never been destroyed.  It survived through several attacks.  You can take tours! http://www.loreley-info.com/eng/rhein-rhine/castles/marksburg.php

 Stolzenfels Palace - Open for tours. It went through a renovation in 1840s and has become one of the most outstanding examples of German romanticism.
http://www.loreley-info.com/eng/rhein-rhine/castles/stolzenfels.php

If you enjoyed seeing the Rhine Castles and Ruins, take a half hour and watch these three videos describing the Rhine and its castles.  The page will open the first of three videos and there are icons for numbers 2 and 3.  Click the link below to begin.

http://www.loreley-info.com/eng/rhein-rhine/videos/middle-ages-europe-1-3.php

In review, here is a map of the castles, most of them discussed in the last few blog posts.  We traveled from bottom to top.

 A little repeats and then continues south on the Rhine/Rhein.

This has been a grand view of the castles from the river.  Train access runs between the towns as well as the water passage, car and people.

Rhein River, Germany - Lorelei

To start this post, here are two things: notice the rocks in the middle of the river, and then the boat is a ferry with cars that we talked about earlier.  I was shocked that it (the boat and the rocks) was so huge.

 Rock cliffs approaching "Lorelei".

 This is it. The Lorelei is a 433 foot high slate cliff.  The Rhein is about 82 feet deep here and only 371 feet wide. Because it is so deep and narrow, it is one of the most dangerous places on the river.

 There is an 1801 romantic ballad about this place.  Lorelei is a beauty from Bacharach (we saw that town earlier) who wants to take her life because her true love is unfaithful.  The bishop, fascinated by her loveliness and humility, decides to take her to a convent. When she is on the cliff, she looks and sees her true love riding away and in despair throws herself in to the turbulent water below.

Story #2 is written in 1810 as a fairytale.  The woman is distraught Lurley and sits on the rocks combing her long blond hair.  She lures barges in to their destruction.

 This is the statue.  It is difficult to see.

 Here is a closeup. Credit for the photo.

Burg Katz (Cats Castle) built in the second half of the 14th century. It was built to protect the Burg Rheinfels (Next). Napoleon blew it up in 1806.  1896 reconstruction to match the original as closely as possible. In 1989 it was purchased by Japanese and accommodates the hotel Cats Castle.  No tours are available.

 The town St. Goarshausen below Burg Katz.

 Ruin Rheinfels.  Known as a fortress.  It is open for exploration March through mid-November.

The town below Ruin Rheinfels.

 Another view of Rheinfels.  More info: http://www.loreley-info.com/eng/rhein-rhine/castles/rheinfels.php

 Berg Maus.  This is also called Thunberg. It is one of the most modern and technically interesting constructions of the time.  People had the opinion that the castles spied on themselves like cat and mouse. That is how the two castles got their names: Berg Katz and Berg Maus.

 I looked at the map and saw that we had a little time until the next one so I went inside to get warm.