Stories of the Rhine

We had an incredible journey along the Rhine, visiting some fascinating towns and cities.

In Basel, Switzerland, we explored Old Town and drank glacier water from the decorative fountains.

In Germany's Black Forest, we took a hike through the beautiful landscape, visited a medieval village, and sampled Black Forest cake.

Breisach, Germany, was topped by St. Stephan Cathedral, surrounded by an interesting upper town complete with a water well tower.

Strasbourg, France, shared with us its European Quarter, Imperial District, and most enjoyable, Petit France with it's flower-covered, have-timber canal houses.

Speyer, Germany, was filled with spires, given the Memorial Church, Trinity Church, and Romanesque Speyer Cathedral.

Rudesheim charmed us with its medieval cobblestone allies and walkways and vast hillside vineyards.

The Middle Rhine was decorated with more than 20 castles, which, coupled with the hillside vineyards and bank villages, made for scenic cruising.

Koblenz's striking German Corner, where the Rhine and Moselle converge, symbolizes the unification of Germany. towering above the German Corner is Ehrenbreitstein Fortress--Europe's largest. Also here is a serene Jewish Cemetery with a walkway lined with ther reclaimed headstones used by the Nazis to pave train station stairs.

Cologne, Germany, features Germany's most visited landmark: Cologne Cathedral, which took nearly 700 years to build and was the world's tallest building until 1884 with the building of the Washington Monument. The Cathedral was built to house the bones of the three magi.

The nearby Augustusburg Palace in Bruhl, Germany, was a magnificent palace with gardens, orangeries, and fountains to match. Much like a mini Versailles.

In Kinderkijk, Holland, we got a flavor for windmill life and learned a thing or two about living with rising water in a below-sea-level land.

A couple months ago, I mentioned after my tour of Portugal to look for some travel stories in the near future. A few of those travel stories have already been accepted for publication and will be coming soon. As you can imagine, they will be followed by some stories about our experiences in these fascinating places in Germany, Switzerland, France, and The Netherlands.