I forgot to mention in yesterday's blog that we got to spend a whole day in Cologne instead of going on to Koblenz in the afternoon.. It seems that at least 8 huge British bombs from WWII had been discovered in the Rhine and one was close to he city of Koblenz. All 40,000 people were evacuated yesterday while one of the bombs was dismantled. Probabl, a wise decision for us to forego that stop!
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I was thrilled when today dawned clear and dry. When I was here 5 years ago, the weather was freezing with high winds, rain and fog, Since there were so many scenic views as we passed through the gorge, good weather was definitely a blessing. Today it's just one charming site after another. Debbie filled us in on the history of each structure as we passed by, but it's too much detail for this blog.
This was one of 2 castles that have not been destroyed at all and remain completely intact.
Others did not enjoy such a fate.....
My favorite were the ones at the top of the vineyards which spilled down to the villages below......
And this a great segway into our afternoon excursion. By 2:30 we had docked in Rudesheim and were ready to explore this UNESCO recognized area of Germany's Hessen Province in the Rhine Valley.
Steep slate mountains border both sides of the Rhine and are covered with vineyards famous for Riesling wines. 
Since we are now in the midst of famous German wine country,we couldn't pass up the chance to have a winetasting with a local vintner. All the vineyards are on the sides of the hills as evidenced in the photo above and what a lovely hike we had to the vineyard on this beautiful afternoon. We tasted 3 of his Reislings which varied from very dry to a sweeter option.
Our hike definitely grew easier by the 3rd wine and we even saw Santa cruising overhead in the gondola!
After some fun shopping in the local markets and a quick trip back to the boat for dinner. We returned to town to sample their famous Rudesheim Coffee. This is their version of Irish Coffee but with their local Asbach Uralt Brandy. We loved watching the cups ignite but even better was drinking this luscious beverage on a cold winter evening.
Once more it's late at night and tomorrow is a full day as we see Worms in the morning and Heidelberg in the afternoon so better close.
Linda
And this a great segway into our afternoon excursion. By 2:30 we had docked in Rudesheim and were ready to explore this UNESCO recognized area of Germany's Hessen Province in the Rhine Valley.
Steep slate mountains border both sides of the Rhine and are covered with vineyards famous for Riesling wines. 
Since we are now in the midst of famous German wine country,we couldn't pass up the chance to have a winetasting with a local vintner. All the vineyards are on the sides of the hills as evidenced in the photo above and what a lovely hike we had to the vineyard on this beautiful afternoon. We tasted 3 of his Reislings which varied from very dry to a sweeter option.
Our hike definitely grew easier by the 3rd wine and we even saw Santa cruising overhead in the gondola!
Once more it's late at night and tomorrow is a full day as we see Worms in the morning and Heidelberg in the afternoon so better close.
Linda
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