Here are some of our favorite photos from the trip (each photo is a thumbnail linked to a higher quality picture.):
26) Domwiesen Speyer, Speyer, Germany, May 14, 2024 - We packed in a lot on this day! The day started with our boat pulling up to the Speyer river quay at 7am after sailing downstream all night from Strasbourg. We had the usual fantastic breakfast onboard and then disembarked for a morning walking tour of Speyer. We strolled through the park that surrounds the "port" area while our guide gave us a quick overview of the city. About half a kilometer we crossed where the medieval city wall would have been a 1,000 years ago (and what would have been the river bank back then.)
27) Dom Zu Speyer (Speyer Cathedral), Speyer, Germany, May 14, 2024 - Just inside the wall, now marked by a short segment of wall with one of the original 67 guard towers, is the pride of Speyer - the 1,000 year old Speyer Cathedral. This gigantic Romanesque church is a UNESCO World Heritage site and just walking up to it makes it clear why. It is massive! When it was built it was the largest church in Christendom. It was heavily damaged by earthquakes and wars but has always been rebuilt. It is still an active church today and worth a visit just to envision how it was built given medieval technology.
28) Judenbad (Jewish Courtyard), Speyer, Germany, May 14, 2024 - From the cathedral we walked to a nearby Jewish Courtyard - an archeological site with a 900 year old Synagogue and Mikvah (sacred bath) which is another UNESCO site. These buildings were built just after the cathedral was completed and share some architectural elements with it. Some time in the 16th Century the buildings were destroyed and the size of the Jewish community shrank dramatically - eventually resulting in the site being buried. It was unearthed in 1999 and now has a museum attached as well as being open to visitors. Our guide walked us through the courtyard and brought us down into the bath. He also proved an overview of the basics of Synagogue and Mikvah design with was very interesting.
29) Dreifaltigkeitskirche (Protestant Church), Speyer, Germany, May 14, 2024 - Next we did another contrast by visiting the Dreifaltigkeitskirche - a Lutheran Church built in 1700. Unlike the previous two religious buildings this one was built primarily of wood rather than stone. It was also much smaller and feels more intimate. I am not a church person but it was interesting to visit three different sites back-to-back to see how they all differed.
30) Maximilianstraße, Speyer, Germany, May 14, 2024 - We ended our walking tour in the main square where our guide provided us with a bag of fresh, warm pretzels. (While Brenda, Harvey, Tracy, Bill, Jonna and I were doing this tour Joyce and Debbie were out at a farm doing a vinegar tasting which they thoroughly enjoyed.) After our tour Tracy, Bill, Jonna and I went to a cafe for some caffeine and to try Spaghettieis. This is a German desert made by extruding soft-serve ice cream through a pasta press so it comes out looking like pasta noodles. Then it is topped with strawberry jam that looks like Bolognese sauce and sprinkled with shaved white chocolate that looks like parmesan cheese. How could I pass up trying a local ice cream dessert?!?! Jonna and I then split off to walk around town a bit more and to run some errands before heading back to the boat for lunch. While walking back to the port we found one of the most interesting things I've seen in our previous visits to Germany: Stolpersteine (Stumbling Stones). These bronze plaques are imbedded into the sidewalk to indicate the homes of Jews who were killed during the Holocaust.
31) Rhine River bike path, Speyer, Germany, May 14, 2024 - After eating too much for lunch I was all for burning some calories for the afternoon. With my parents and Bill off on an excursion to Heidelberg, Jonna and I checked out bicycles from the boat staff and set out to explore some more. We started by cycling north on the west bank of the Rhine. We got out of town and had a peaceful pedal just feet from the river while watching ships ply their trade going up and down the Rhine. A few miles later we hit a dead end on the path we were using so took that as a hint to head back. We found a different bike slightly further away from the river and took that back towards Speyer. This path delivered us right behind the cathedral so when we got there we turned west to down the central street and continued in that direction to the western edge of town. From there we made a circle to the south before heading back towards the central square. This path took us past two more impressive churches: St. Joseph and Gedächtniskirche (Catholic and Lutheran, respectively.)
32) Dom Zu Speyer (Speyer Cathedral), Speyer, Germany, May 14, 2024 - Once we got back to the Speyer Cathedral we parked the bikes and went inside. It is modestly decorated but the sheer size is just as impressive inside as out. We paid the modest 4 euro fee to go into the crypt and felt the same. The tombs of the historic Emperors from the country’s past are entombed in plain stone crypts but the area underneath the floor of the cathedral is bigger and more architecturally interesting than I’d expected. Once we exited the church I found a bench where I could access the city’s free public wifi and caught up on things while Jonna headed back to the boat to read. When I got back she headed to the room to read while I settled in on the upper sun deck to listen to podcasts for while. As we neared dinner I grabbed a quick shower and headed to the onboard restaurant where our group re-assembled to share stories from our various outings.
33) Weingut ZumStein, Bad Durkheim, Germany, May 14, 2024 - Normally, that would signal the end of our day but tonight we had an organized late excursion - a bus ride to nearby Bad Dürkheim to visit the ZumStein vineyard (Est. 1765). We got a tour of their wine cellar (supposedly the longest in Germany) by the son (and current vintner).
34) Weingut ZumStein, Bad Durkheim, Germany, May 14, 2024 - We then went into their tasting room for samples of three of their organic wines. The owner regaled us with descriptions, recommendations and jokes while we sipped three different wines and cleansed our palate with flatbread pizzas. After an hour we sleepily re-boarded the bus and tried to stay awake for the ride back to the boat.
35) Römerberg, Frankfurt, Germany, May 15, 2024 - After being so active the previous day we were able to take it back a notch on this day. Our ship moved during the night continuing down the Rhine and then turning to go up the Main River to Frankfurt. As we were waking up in morning the crew was tying up to the riverside quay in downtown Frankfurt. We had breakfast on the boat but instead of charging straight off to explore we instead stuck around in order to attend a talk in the ship’s lounge by historian Dr. Daniel Güertler from Nuremberg. He gave an hour long presentation on "Jewish life in Germany" which covered a 2000 year timeframe from the Roman Empire through to today. It was very informative despite the heavy nature of the topic. After the talk it was time for a quick lunch and then down the gang plank to join the afternoon walking tour. We met up with our guide and then walked along the riverside until we reached the Iron Bridge. Then we headed into the center of the Old Town. From there we wound through side streets stopping at the cathedral, a butcher selling traditional German wurst, and finally a modern market hall. Along the way our excellent guide told the history of the city, various local folktales, explained regional customs and pointed out interesting buildings. We walked for two hours and we all enjoyed the tour.
36) Museum MMK Für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt, Germany, May 15, 2024 - Once the tour was over we all split up and went our own ways. Jonna and I headed to the nearby Modern Art Museum and spent an hour going through all three floors as well as a satellite space in the building across the street. As is often the case with modern art, some of it landed with us and other pieces were just so-so. What we did appreciate was that the entire museum space was devoted to immigrant artists and their stories. Interesting!
37) Museum MMK Für Moderne Kunst, Frankfurt, Germany, May 15, 2024 - Another highlight from visiting the Modern Art Museum was the architecture of the space. The floors of the building are somewhat triangular in layout and the internal walls have various windows and slots in them which allows for unique perspectives. Once we were done we walked across the street to a pop-up store which specializes in Studio Ghibli merchandise. We are big fans of the Miyazaki films so found it fun to see all the trinkets decorated with characters and images from the movies. We didn’t buy anything but definitely enjoyed perusing the wares. We headed back to the boat after that but took a slightly different route.
38) Uniworld "River Queen", Frankfurt, Germany, May 15, 2024 - This got us back in time to relax in the lounge and hear what the others in our group had done for the afternoon. As if we hadn’t eaten enough today we had the usual generous dinner in the boat’s restaurant but then retired early to watch some TV shows off my tablet and to turn it early.
39) Burg Ehrenfels (Ehrenfels Castle), Rhine River, Germany, May 16, 2024 - For the first half of the river cruise the focus was primarily on the cities along the Rhine. However, the highlight of this day was the river itself as we traveled through the middle Rhine gorge. This are is both recognized and protected as a UNESCO World Heritage site. After days on a wide plain, in this area the river has cut its way through a slate uplift resulting in a narrow winding gorge. In medieval times this section of the river was lined with castles which were built to control traffic in order to collect taxes. As a result there are over a dozen castles in the short section of river between Bingen and Oberwesel. This area is marketed to tourists as the "Romantic Rhine" and the name is very appropriate. Fortunately the weather was nice - cloudy but clearing and no rain - which meant we could be up on the sundeck. We had the Activities Director of the boat up with us narrating the passage which was great as well. She was very enthusiastic and has a unique way of telling the folk (and real) stories associated with this area.
40) Burg Rheinstein (Castle Rheinstein), Rhine River, Germany, May 16, 2024 - One of the larger castles on this stretch is Castle Rheinstein which is now a museum. It is also unique in that it sits down near the river rather than being built up high on a hilltop which means we got a nice view as we sailed past.
41) Burg Pfalzgrafenstein (Pfalzgrafenstein Castle), Rhine River, Germany, May 16, 2024 - Another unique castle in this stretch is Castle Pfalzgrafenstein. This small Toll castle is built on an island in the river but is supported by a larger fortres, Burg Gutenfels, which is built up on a hill overlooking the entire valley.
42) Oberwesel, Germany, May 16, 2024 - By mid-day we arrived in the small town of Oberwesel where the boat docked which gave us an opportunity to get out and walk around.
43) Oberwesel, Germany, May 16, 2024 - Jonna and I took off and climbed up the hill behind the town until we were outside the medieval walls at which point we hiked a loop around until we could re-enter the walls on the south end of town.
44) Oberwesel, Germany, May 16, 2024 - The view looking over the village of Oberwesel and out onto the Rhine was gorgeous! Well worth making the climb up the ridge and hiking the tiny trail along the old city walls.
45) Burg Rheinfels (Rheinfels Castle), St. Goar, Germany, May 16, 2024 - We then returned to the boat for lunch. After eating we were back out but this time to board a bus for a spectacular 45 minute drive to the next town up the river which is St. Goar. (The drive climbed out of the Rhine Valley which gave us a bird’s eye view of Oberwesel as well as a panoramic sweep of all the villages on top of the uplift in this area.) High above the village of St. Goar is Burg Rheinfels. This massive castle was started in the 13th century but was modified/rebuild/expanded for the next 400 years until it was the largest castle on the Rhein. After being mostly destroyed in the Napoleonic Wars part has been rebuilt and serves a number of functions including a hotel, a restaurant and a museum. We did a tour that went around the castle battlements and then moved over to the ruins of the 17th Century fortress to go through the tunnels underneath. Sadly, the guide wasn’t the best - a slow, droning voice and his patter was mainly focused on keeping 12 year old boys interested. Still we did get to walk around an old castle with me imagining soldiers running the gamut from medieval archers to 17th century grenadiers manning the battlements so not a total loss. We had a nice bus ride back, this time along the river, which got us back just before the boat was scheduled to cast off.
46) Loreley, Rhine River, Germany, May 16, 2024 - We went back up to the sundeck for another hour of watching the gorgeous scenery scroll past all while learning stories about each castle and village we passed. One of the halmarks of this section of the river is the huge rock called the Loreley that the river makes a sharp turn to go around. Folktales tell of river maiden who lived at the rock and would call to sailors making them crash their boats onto the rocks around the Loreley. She must have been otherwise entertained this day because we didn't hear the call and made it safely past.
47) Burg Marksburg (Marksburg Castle, previously known as "Burg Braubach"), Rhine River, Germany, May 16, 2024 - One of the last castles along this "Romantic Rhine" section is Marksburg Castle which has the distinction of being the only castle which was never destroyed or fell into disuse. Because it is painted white it shines out from its hilltop overlooking the picturesque village of Braubach.
48) Uniworld "River Queen", Bonn, Germany, May 16, 2024 - As we passed out of the gorge we headed inside for dinner. Normally this would end our day but tonight there was more entertainment - a 70’s dance party. We all got dressed up and went into the appropriately decorated lounge to shake our booties to the disco hits of that bygone age. We all thoroughly enjoyed getting to dance and sing together!
49) Kölner Dom (Cologne Cathedral), Cologne, Germany, May 17, 2024 - After traveling all night our ship arrived in the big city of Cologne in the morning and as I got out of bed I watched as our boat tied up along the bank of the Rhine in the heart of the city. After a quick breakfast our entire group of eight all headed up the gangplank to board a bus for a guided tour of Cologne. The bus hardly seemed to move before we were off and following our guide down the riverfront path. We have discovered a few things on recent tours. First, the reputation of Germans to have a limited sense of humor appears to be true. As a result it seems like guides fall back on pretty base topics, like scatological humor, in order to fill the entertainment gap. I can’t say that does much for me so I ended up rolling my eyes a lot on the last couple of tours. Second, the guide here in Cologne was quite proud of the town’s reputation of being direct to the point of being rude. I think the guide thought that being intentionally non-politically correct was a virtue but at least a few of us found that disappointing rather than appealing. Despite those two downers the guide did provide a few interesting tidbits about buildings in the town, the culture of the city and about some of the food. Nonetheless, I was pretty happy when the tour was over and we had some time to explore on our own. The last stop on the 1 1/2 hour long tour was the incredible Dom Cathedral. As most of you probably know I am not great fan of religion and definitely not of the vast fortunes spent glorifying those religions rather than helping people. Despite all of that it is hard not to be awed by the Dom. It was the tallest building in the world when it was completed (after 600 hundred years of construction!) and is still the third tallest church in the world.
50) Kölner Dom (Cologne Cathedral), Cologne, Germany, May 17, 2024 - Inside it is incredible - massive but also airy and spacious. The stained glass windows combined with the vaulted ceilings make the interior seem to be floating rather than held up my the massive stone columns. Really, like my two visits to St Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican, I just have to detach my knowledge and feelings about the Church and just appreciate the architectural grandeur of the church. Once we left the Cathedral we walked across the square to a cafe so we could sit for a moment and get something to drink. Once we were rested our group broke up to go separate way. Bill and Tracy went shopping in a Christmas store that sold handmade craft items. Debbie and Joyce walked around the main square and surrounding streets. Brenda and Harvey headed back to the boat to relax some more and, finally, Jonna and I headed to the Museum Ludwig to check out Cologne’s massive collection of modern and contemporary art.
51) Museum Ludwig, Cologne, Germany, May 17, 2024 - The museum is huge but the layout is maze like with rooms off of rooms and with niches hanging off those. We were in the museum an hour and had only covered one of four floors. We decided to reluctantly head back to the boat to grab lunch. The ship was moving at 2pm from where it had docked in the morning to a different mooring spot upriver so we rushed to get back before the move. We ate a quick lunch and then, knowing where the boat would be docked until our 4pm departure, we jumped back off and returned to the art museum to see more. Some of our highlights were some surrealist pieces by Salvador Dalí and Max Ernst, some bird photos by Roni Horn, the large Pablo Picasso collection and a big sculptural piece by Edward Kienholz called "The Portable War Memorial". Naturally, there was some bland and weird stuff too but that is part of what makes modern art interesting. We put in a concerted effort and completed going through the rest of the museum in an hour which left us just enough time to make the half hour walk to the boat. We crossed the famous Hohenzollern bridge and then headed upriver until we reached the Schiffsanlegestelle Deutzer Vorhafen ship terminal. We got on just as the crew were preparing the boat to leave and just as one of the pursers was knocking on our room door to make sure we were aboard. For the last few days of the cruise we are probably going to be known to the staff as the folks who flirt with their "Back on board" deadlines. At 4:00pm the ship headed back into the Rhine to continue downstream. Tonight we will leave Germany and cross the border into the Netherlands. Our evening entertainment was a talk by the Activities Director about Germany after the wars. She grew up in Eastern Germany so her talk also emphasized the cultural differences between east and west between 1945 and 1989. It was a good talk and kept us busy until dinner. After dinner a duo was scheduled to play country music for the evening but Jonna and I both decided to head to the room early relax and perhaps even fall asleep before midnight for a change!
Go forward to the third '24 Rhine River
Cruise Photo Page.
Go back to the first '24 Rhine River
Cruise Photo Page.
Return to Alan and Jonna's Travel Page
