Cologne - Monday - Sept.20

 11-pm+, evening's entertainment has left the ship, and the Captain has un-leashed us from downtown Cologne, and has started cruising towards the beautiful Rhine Gorge where many castles await my phone's camera!

Let me tell you about our day.   First, about last night-

We left the veranda's sliding doors open for some fresh river air.  I could not believe the amount of ship traffic on the Rhine!   About 400+ ships pass a certain point every day! (24*60)/400 = about a ship every 4-min.!!  Yes, I heard every one of them!  6,900 ships call the Rhine their home.  The Rhine is one of the world's most frequented inland waterways.  Got used to the diesel engines rumbling, after awhile ...

Barbara had asked about our cruise.  Surprisingly we have only 59-passengers on board.  Capacity = 162.

She also asked about our next covid-test.   Germany and Switzerland and France, at this time, only require that you're vaccinated and that you fill out forms.  We will get tested in Strasbourg, for those of us continuing on to Lake Como in Italy.

Captain started us cruising towards Cologne after breakfast.   We enjoyed a few more views of Dusseldorf.

Here's a few more pics heading upriver.  Another cruise ship passing us.  See one of Germany's river camping parks beyond?   They're just as crazy about trailering as we are!

Some bucolic scenes (and small town church) :

Now docking in Cologne, a very very historic city.   It was an important Roman and later a Catholic site.

Today we were attached to the 'orange' guide with our receivers and earpieces.   He was funny, entertaining, and very informative.

Started at the old fish market, which is located in front of the old town hall.

Now .. on to the centerpiece of our visit.

The Cologne CATHEDRAL!   Started construction in the 1200's.    Took several hundred years.   During WWII, Allied bombers used its twin spires as an easily recognizable navigational landmark to aid its bombing runs.   While slightly damaged, all around it for miles was flattened.   As are most cathedrals in Europe, it is undergoing renovations and exterior washing of hundreds of years of acidic rains.

of course .. the stain glass windows inside are fantastic and beautiful .. we had to present our vaccination cards to a monk to enter ..

Here's what the area around the cathedral looks like during their Christmas markets' season :

Right next to it is a Roman-Germanic museum that includes many old-old-old carvings, sewer drains, and an interesting well preserved Roman mosaic floor.   It was closed but I took a picture through the window :

We strolled through a few streets of the shopping district then headed back down the hill to our ship.

After a delicious dinner we went up to the lounge for tonight's entertainment.   A husband-wife duet called 'Poppyfield' that sang pop and rock songs by .. Elvis, The Temptations, Jim Croce, The Village People, Bob Seger, Van Morrison, Jimmy Buffett, and more.

A fun day on the Rhine and in Cologne.   On to cruising by a lot of castles and a gondola ride in Rudesheim!