Koblenz

1. The spitting boy
2. A square in Koblenz and a memorial done in 1992 to celebrate the 2000th anniversary of the founding of the town
3. The Rhine from Marksburg Castle

A good sleep last night. Didn.t hear us even depart from Cologne but became conscious at about 2-30am that we were moving. We docked at Koblenz a town at the junction of the Rhine and the Moselle Rivers at 9am. The city has a rich history of serttlement but also of dispuite over many centuries between Germany/Prussia and the French. The chef gave a demonstration of making black forest cake and then again we had a our radio assisted your guides as we wandered the old streets and some of its unique attractions, like Schlagel, the statue of a boy who spits every two minutes, the Jesuit quarters of the Inquisition, now the TOwn Hall offices, and the guy with the rolling eyes on the clock who on the hour pokes out his tongue to denote the number of the hour. W saw him at midday so we had 12 goes at getting a photo! It was then back on board for lunch and then a bus trip to MArksburg Castle, the only castle that has never been vandalised and destryoed in any of the many battles and so is pretty well in the same condition as when it was first built n the C12th, C13th. I took stacks of photos for Ashley and Elijah as we toured the various parts of the castle still furnished with much of its m,aterial of furniture, kitchen, smithy and even the torure chamber! Magnificent views from that height of the Rhine valley which we will continue to explore tomorrow. The we had afternoon tea at a quaint hotel which had once been an old mill. All its mechanics were still there and we were led to understand are still in working order.

We remain docked all night tonight and leave Koblenz in the am so that we see the Rhine Gorge and the many castles on their crags etc in daylight.