Last early alarm – at least until tomorrow.

We were up at the regular time, breakfasted, and on to the bus to Heidelberg. The boat was docked at Mannheim- the closest it could get to Heidelberg. We were joined on the bus by our guide who regaled us with history and interesting information about both cities and the surrounding area.

About a half-hour later we arrived at the ruins of the castle in Heidelberg. This castle was built by the prince elector of the city in the early 17th century and pretty much destroyed by the French in 1689. From then it has a long and chequered history dominating in its current incarnation as a major tourist attraction.

After a tour of the castle the bus took us down to the old center where our trusty guide led us into the center (cathedral square) and left us to our own devices.

Cheryl and I wandered for a bit – checking out the old bridge

and sampling praline and truffle delicacies

and generally enjoying the morning amid the bustle of an active tourist center (HELP! We’ve been on the road too long!).

Finally we came upon a major Earth Justice protest parade so we took a couple of pics and ducked down a handy alley and made our way back to the bus for the trip back to the boat.

After lunch we retired to the sun deck to spend some quality time relaxing in the heat and cooling breeze, watching the scenery and barges pass by.

Eventually we agreed that it was just too hot to stay topside so we retired to our cabin for a shower, a bit of reading, and dressing for dinner.

Dinner tonight was in the tourist town of Rüdesheim at a local restaurant contracted by the cruise line. The wine was excellent (a local Riesling), the company was fun – we were joined by a group from North Carolina – the food was forgettable, and the “oompah band” (clarinet, violin, keyboard, drum) was fun. So I guess it was an OK evening.

Returning to the boat we spent a few minutes topside enjoying the evening and the setting sun before retiring to our evening tasks – bed, update, etc.

Tomorrow we spend the morning enjoying the most spectacular 40 miles of the Rhine on our way to Koblenz. Which means if we want to get chairs on the Sun Deck we need to get up and going. So much for sleeping in.

Nite all,
R