Browsing in Boppard

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Yesterday, while we slept, the ship started up and took us around the Zee Hamm, leaving the Mosel and getting back on the Rhine. Then, at the Boppard Hamm, we docked at the small village of Boppard, the site of an old Roman garrison. No doubt you'll remember that 'Hamm' refers to a big, u-shaped curve in the river. On the west side of the river was the boundary of the Roman Empire, while across the river were the wild Germanic tribes. The Rhine formed a natural barrier between the two cultures. In late 400 AD the Germans finally did conquer the Roman Empire, which was the start of the so-called dark ages in history.

Parts of the garrison are still standing, along with some murals and storage bins. As usual, a visit to a local church is on our itinerary, and they all are quite beautiful. The terrain has changed significantly, with the vineyards being replaced with tall mountains on either side of the river, covered in heavy, green forests. In town was a lift to the top of a nearby mountain. Zee didn't want to take the ride up, so I took the ride. What views from the top. The ride took 22 minutes to get to the top. There was a rocky, steep trail people could take if they wanted to walk to the top. It looked steep and tough. On the way down on the lift I saw two elderly men -- maybe 65-70 years old -- with backpacks hiking up the trail. They weren't even breathing hard. I briefly talked to one as I passed by him and he said the hike was no problem. Sheesh! I felt like a wimp. Four young men were riding up on the lift, and they had their mountain bikes with them. They were going to ride their bikes back down the mountain. What a wild ride that must have been, as the trail is quite steep and rocky. At this young age, in men, testosterone replaces brainpower it seems.

Last evening was Kareoke night, and we have quite a lot of talent aboard ship. Our friend, Therese, sang a song, and did a great performance. It was a fun evening, with a wide variety of talent and songs. Even some of the ship's staff sang, and our head chef sang a beautiful song. He is quite tall and thin, but has a good singing voice.

Departing Boppard later on, we cruised along the Rhine where many castles are located. This is a beautiful stretch of the river. Our Program Directors gave us a running commentary on the castles and other sights, such as the mystical Lorelei. The terrain is changing, and the land is getting flatter as we're once again seeing vineyards.

The Rhine is quite a river, roughly 750 miles long, and we cruise most of it. It originates in Switzerland and flows northward into the North Sea. We pass or see barge after barge we cruise along the river. One can set on the sun deck with binoculars and see many interesting sights. A nice way to travel. We are cruising upriver, heading towards Switzerland.

We are now docked at the village of Speyer, and shortly will take our usual walk around town to see what awaits us. The weather is cloudy, but it doesn't look or feel like rain, at least to me. But, I may take my umbrella anyway as I'm a belt and suspenders kind of guy. Zee just said she's going to take her umbrella and raincoat.

That's the latest news from Deutchland. Auf wiedersehen.....Jim

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