Zipping Around Zell

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Yesterday we spent our last day on the Mosel River docked at the old village of Zell. We have progressed upriver towards the headwaters of the Mosel as far as our ship can get. Last night the ship cruised back to the Rhine while we slept. Zell is noted for their Reisling wine, and one brand in particular: Zeller Schwarze Katz. We have tasted this wine previously, and it is a nice wine. There are pictures of the black cat everywhere in the village, advertising this wine.

We started the day, as we usually do, with a walking tour. In the main area there was this large mural on a wall with the name "Hamm" prominently displayed. In German, Hamm refers to where the river makes a big bend. So now we know. There was a small festival going on with rides, vendors, beer booths and a German 'oompah' band. About a ten-piece band, and the members had a cold beer beside them to sip on between songs. I sat and listened to the music for awhile. it was a warm day, a Sunday, and families were out enjoying the nice weather. The beer booths were doing a brisk business, with Bitburger beer seeming to be the one most displayed.

I forgot to mention that the day previously, when we took our walking tour, we came upon what I describe -- with tongue-in-cheek -- as a "Polish" sundial. It seems the village had renovated this old building and wanted to add a sundial outside to further enhance the appearance. So they built this nice sundial, but, unfortunately, placed it on the north side of the building where the sun doesn't get to, so the sundial is pretty but not functional. Ah, those Polish engineers...(grin)...

Last night on the ship, they showed a movie, and had popcorn. Before the movie, one of our Program Directors -- Tania -- sang an Opera song. What a voice this young lady has. Every evening there is some form of entertainment. Tonight is Karaoke night. Our friend, Therese, has signed up to sing a song. She has a nice voice, and it will be fun to see what other singers we have in our crowd.

We are docked now at the village of Boppard, and will leave shortly for a walking tour. Later today We sail again and will have a running commentary describing the many castles we pass on the Rhine. We have cruised this river some years ago, but it will be interesting to see all those castles again. I brought binoculars just for this reason.

The Mosel was a leisurely, lazy river, whereas the Rhine is much bigger and the current flows very fast. We are moving away from so many vineyards, and the hills are now dotted with heavy forests and, later, old castles....Jim

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