The rivers are wonderful. We pass town after charming medieval town, hilltop castle after castle, medieval church after church. In view are vineyards that cover the steep slopes of the hills by the rivers. High speed trains run along the Rhine but many of the towns are frozen in time. We have also passed many areas of industrial Germany and products that we all benefit from. Everywhere we have been is very very green and lush.
We stopped in Cologne and saw the cathedral, at one time the tallest building in Europe. Cologne was virtually destroyed in WW II. It was rebuilt fairly quickly after. A history lesson we had reminded me of the rebuilding that took place through the US initiative to rebuild Europe following the war (the Marshall Plan). The cathedral at Cologne was one of the few buildings not totally destroyed. But we saw and were told about how the rebuilding took place.
Here are some representative photos.
Cathedral at Cologne, Germany:
Marksburg Castle near Koblenz, Germany. This is the only original completely intact castle along the Rhine.
Looking down at the River from the castle.
