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Final Days: Cologne, Kinderdijk, and Amsterdam

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Reliquary in the Cologne Cathedral Our final three days began in Cologne, a large city (1.1 million people) on both sides of the Rhine.  In 39 BCE a a Germanic tribe, Ubii, entered into an agreement with the Romans to establish a military camp in this location.  In 50 AD the Agrippina the Younger, wife of the Emperor Claudius and native of this area, asked for her home village to be raised to the status of a colonia — a city under Roman law. It was then renamed Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensis (colony of Claudius and the altar of Agrippina), shortened to Colonia Agrippina (Colony of Agrippina).  It was the Colony part of that long name that stuck and hence Cologne.  The central city was effectively destroyed during World War II.  It has been rebuilt to create the look and feel of what was there before the war including several Roman ruins scattered around the city. Cologne Cathedral The signature image of Cologne is the cathedral.  While it sustained some ...
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Days Four and Five: Speyer, Rudesheim, Middle Rhine, and Koblenz

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Speyer Imperial Cathedral of Speyer As we cruised overnight from Strasbourg, the Rhine stopped being a boundary between France and Germany.  As we docked at Speyer, the Rhine was the boundary between two German states:  Rhineland-Palatinate and Baden-Wurtemberg.  Being on the left or east bank, Speyer is a city in the first.  Between the cathedral and the Bishop's Palace on the right, the Romans established a camp in 10 BCE.  Its name, Noviomagus, was a Latinization of a common Celtic placename, New Market. Speyer and its cathedral are important for several reasons.  First is a UNESCO World Heritage Site And is one of the finest examples of Romanesque architecture.  This is no soaring Gothic structure but a solid almost stolid statement of power and presence.  It was built between 1030 and 1061 by the Salian kings of Germany:  Konrad II, Henry III and Henry IV.  These three were Emperors of the Holy Roman Empire which, as our tour guide ...
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Strasbourg, France

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A quiet Sunday afternoon in Strasbourg  We arrived in Strasbourg around 7:30 on Sunday morning.  By 9:00 we were off for a three-hour walking tour of this fascinating city.  It is the largest port on the Upper Rhine and is the cultural center of France's Alsace region.  Its location on the French-German border and its alternating governance by the two countries has created a intriguing blend of cultures.  The Romans founded the city as Argentoratum.  It was first mentioned in 12 BCE.  It celebrated its 2000 anniversary ten years ago.  The Little Ill river splits and surrounds the Old Town, effectively creating an island.  It is easy to see how this was a  highly defensible location. The large photo above shows part of what is known as Petit France.  It is part of Strasbourg's Grand Ile UNESCO World Heritage Site and is the city's most romantic spot.  This was our first stop on a pleasant Sunday walk through this ancient town....
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One Day: Two Countries: The Black Forest in Germany and Colmar in France

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  Rotbach River at 3000 feet elevation in the Black Forest Getting to Breisach Around 7:00 PM as we were eating dinner, our ship departed Basel.  The next morning we were in Breisach Germany about forty miles north.  I am not sure what time we arrived but I know two things.  First, we passed through four locks along the way.  Second, while Basel and Breisach are on the Rhine, our ship did not sail on the Rhine.  Let's take the second thing first.  The Rhine River does flow north from Basel to Breisach but that stretch of the river looks more like its natural state with marshlands and meandering channel.  Between 1932 and 1959, the Grand Canal of Alsace was constructed between Basel and Breisach diverting most of the water from the Rhine into a year round and stable navigation channel.  In addition, four hydroelectric dams and one nuclear generating plant were constructed along the canal.  These four hydro stations require four locks to p...
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Basel Switzerland

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Middle Rhine Bridge: First constructed in 1224 and reconstructed in 1905.  It was the first bridge over the Rhine at Basel and the first bridge between Lake Constance and the North Sea We left Rochester on an evening flight to Dulles Airport in Washington where we connected to an eight-hour flight to Munich on Lufthansa.  After a connecting flight to Basel that afternoon, we were checked into our extremely comfortable Movenpick Hotel.  Since we had a two-day pre cruise extension, Viking handled all the transfers.  All we had to do was walk out with our little red stickers on and be taken in a Mercedes van into town.  Quite luxurious. The next day we took a two-hour walking tour with our Viking Guide, Rachel.  The first thing you notice is how people move around particularly in the center city.  There are no cars!  Only one in three residents own autos.  There is an excellent public transportation system with both buses and trams.  They o...
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Rhine River Cruise - The river, the cruise line, and history

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  Cruising on the middle Rhine with its castles and vineyards. Just arrived On October 18 we left Rochester for Basel Switzerland to begin twelve days cruising on the Rhine River to Amsterdam, Netherlands.  We returned on October 30 after a wonderful time jammed packed with scenery, history, food, wine and beer.  In fact, I have a five-pound souvenir of the trip which I hope will not be permanent.  In addition, I also returned with COVID-19.  I felt symptomatic on the way home and immediately took a test which came back negative.  When things had not improved the next morning, I took another and realized I was positive.  Fortunately Marilyn is still negative.  I have been spending most of my time in the area downstairs processing and curating photos.   I am feeling much better and have begun to document our trip.  So, get ready, this will be the first of several blogs.  Before I get into our daily adventures, I want to share so...
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