Tuesday 17th May
Long drive though the Rhinelands to get to Cologne (even if the Germans can’t spell it properly! Kohn indeed!!)
The things that strike me most about the roads are the trucks,I thought Sydney had enough, but they are like cockcroaches here, but extremely orderly. Have seen traffic jams to rival the best Sydney has to offer
A whistlestop unfortunately, for a town with so much to see.
Main attraction is the Cathedral. It is huge and still in use. We had limited access as a mass was in progress.
It was damaged in the war, and part of the restoration was remaking the stained glass windows from the scattered original pieces. Some were totally redesigned, which did not sit well with everyone.
Then another drive to the Rhine itself for a cruise
Rhine Cruise
The Rhine is also a major supply route for materials, moving to and from the ports in the Netherlands, right into German heartland.
The river appears to flow quite quickly,but nevertheless the ride was quite smooth.
There are also many forts along the river – these served a double purpose – toll collectors for river usage and protection from raiders.
One of highlight stories is the Loreley – a siren that called to sailors, and caused them to crash their boats onto the rocks.
In the myths, she was finally captured and taken to the mountains.
She is immortalised in a statue on a rock
The Hotel
An interesting place – with no porters on arrival, so it was a ‘take-your-own’.
Unfortunately, it was a rabbit warren with only two tiny, slow lifts.
Stephane labelled it the ‘Maze Hotel’.
The hotel was a converted abattoir – just as well we did not find out that fact before bedtime.