Day 4 or so; Koblenz.

Well, we certainly had fun in Koln, and the trip up to the confluence of the Mosel and Rhine was very cool; lots of barge traffic, some missing us by about 10' or so. We passed by Remagen about 4 am, which was too bad because while I was up, too dark to see anything..this was the site of the "The Bridge Too Far" fame of WW II.
Turned the corner at the Moselle, lots of very interesting things here, for sure.
Statue of Otto von Bismark to commemmorate the reunification of Germany about 1880 or so.
The original church in which Charlemagne divided up the Holy Roman Empire and gave 1/3 to each of sons, hence starting the mechanism for centuries of warfare! It is here @ Koblenz, on the border of the outpost of the Roman Empire. Very cool; We had a great walking tour of Koblenz, and then after lunch explored Marksburg Castle. It is one of only two that have never been destroyed by either the French or WW II; great tour. There is of course the mandatory dungeoun/torture chamber, but also an excellent collection of original armor, broad swords, cross bows, etc. Incredible how the people lived in the middle ages, for sure.
So far we've had good weather and the food is excellent. We haven't even had to dip into our emergency chocolate stores that we bought in Koln @ the factory!
We've had regional wines paired w the dinners, some entertainment from local people, and some really good guides and talks about the area.
We are meeting some very interesting people and compare travel stories, family stories, etc. Last night, maybe I discussed it, but a couple escaped the barge with me (Susan went to bed early) and we went out for a couple of biers in a little bier stube. It's so fun to hear German and even speak it again. I've been studying my Rosetta Stone on the computer and it's working!
Tomorrow we head for Cochem; we get to meet the mayor and he gives a little welcome speech and then we go to some vintners for some wine testing and then to the local village streets for the WeinFest; the wine harvest is in full swing around the Mosel and Rhine Valleys and it is indeed a good time to be here! Now it's off for another supper, a little white wine of the Moselle Valley, and then I'm getting off the boat again for some more local experiences..The boat doesn't sail again until a little after midnight and I've made every deadline so far. All three of them! Hope all is well in Arizona!