Marksburg Castle and Cruising the Middle Rhine

Marksburg Castle is the only castle in the Rhine Valley never to have been destroyed. The 13th century castle overlooks the town of Braubach.

This fairy tale castle stands proudly, high above Braubach, keeping watch on the Rhine River.

Up a steep, ancient, cobblestone pathway is the castle entrance.

You may notice the doorway has been altered keeping up with the times when horses were no longer entering the castle.

Just inside the doorway, on the very uneven and difficult terrain, our tour guide gives an introduction to the castle history, 

Getting about the castle was difficult but definitely worth the effort.

Fascinating tour.

A view of the Rhine from the castle

The wine cellar.

From start to finish, winemaking was an important part of castle living.

Kitchen utensils

The master bathroom.

With no septic tank or sewer system the toilet operation was pretty simple!

Wonderful old wooden doors throughout the castle.

The hardware is amazing!

Just look at the details.

Of course there was a blacksmith in the castle.

Glad the tour buses took us (almost) to the top of the hill.

Back to the ship for lunch and an afternoon of cruising the middle Rhine.

I spent most of the afternoon in the lounge and on the sun deck enjoying the spectacular scenery.

Castles and pristine villages along this section of the Rhine.

Vineyards

Castles and Vineyards!

                                  A demonstration making Rudesheimer Kaffee in the lounge.
                                    It is a brandy coffee drink served in these pretty cups.

Delicious!

Next post - a traditional dinner in Rudesheim.

💜peace,Myra

Cologne - Gothic Cathedral and Rococo Castle

June 23, 2017
DAY THREE

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, construction on Cologne's Gothic cathedral was begun in 1248. Work continued in stages for seven centuries with completion in 1880.

Our day began with a walking tour of Cologne. Here are a few highlights of the cathedral and city.

Detail of cathedral entrance.

Stained glass in the cathedral.

From this photo (above) you can imagine how enormous the cathedral really is!

Below, you can see how small people appear compared to the cathedral.

Side view

I love this sweet little fountain in front of the cathedral.

Wonderful old Cadillac waiting for the bride and groom to finish their vows.

Walking around the old city

Following another spectacular lunch onboard our ship, we boarded the motor coach for Augustusburg Palace. Another UNESCO World Heritage Site, the estate was built for the prince-archbishops of Cologne.

Lovely rococo design.

Unfortunately no photography was allowed inside.

Believe me it was "over the top"!

Wonderful checkerboard cobblestones paving the drive.

The view of the gardens from a second floor bedroom.

Augustusburg hunting lodge was built from 1568 to 1572.

It is located within walking distance of the palace.

There are beautiful old trees around the grounds.

This small chapel is located near the hunting lodge.

A river view in Cologne

Following dinner we waited for the cathedral to be lighted and left for Koblenz.

The next day we toured Marksburg Castle (a real highlight of the trip).

💜peace,Myra

Dutch Cheese and Windmills

June 22, 2017 Day Two
Woke up in Rotterdam. Very modern cityscape. Exciting day planned with a guided tour of a family owned Dutch cheese making farm and the Kinderdijk windmills.

Rotterdam. Wonderful modern architecture. The building on the left reminds me of the Clinton Library/Museum in Little Rock, AR. One of the bridges is similar to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco and another like the Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge in Boston.

A motor coach took us out to the farm land where the cattle are raised.

We toured a cheese farm, from the dairy cows to the finished product.

Making cheese.

I brought home a couple of rounds.

A lovely home on one of the canals in Kinderdijk.

From the dairy farms we traveled to Kinderdijk for a guided tour of the UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are nineteen 18th century windmills in close proximity in this area.

Wooden shoes 

Inside one of the windmills

Living quarters in a windmill

Our ship caught up with us in Kinderdijk in time for lunch.

We had an afternoon of scenic cruising. 

I spent most of the afternoon on the sun deck enjoying the perfect weather watching as the Dutch landscapes passed by. 

Next stop Cologne, Germany.

💜peace,Myra