We’ve heard it on the TV … sometimes, you just gotta get away from the everyday routines and places. A relaxing river cruise on the Moselle, Rhine and Main rivers in Germany with short stops in Paris and Prague at start / finish hit the mark. While away, the Oregon wildfires raged on and would have kept me from the woods, regardless.
I’m leaving the pros / cons of a river cruise for somebody else – while along the way, there was no shortage other than things to see – old cities, old towns, vineyards, castles and relaxing times floating on the rivers themselves.
Old Cities
Prague (Praha) deserves another set of photos – the old Jewish quarter I found the most interesting. Prague’s 1930’s terrible history is no different than others, and these brass plaques scattered around town tell the tragic stories of specific Jewish families. Per our guide, the old synagog is one the oldest still being used …
Where else might one see this
Old Towns
Roman construction passes the tests of time, even when they built without mortar like this city gate.
Along the river, small towns mostly unchanged except to exploit the tourists disembarking at the river.
One of my favorite tales focused on medieval times with low literacy rates, so rules and cautions were pictorial. This one (per our guide) told people that if you steal, you lose a hand.
Vineyards
Some vineyards were >75% incline and hundreds of years old – most planted with riesling grapes. Amazing to think through how people (not machines) care and harvest these vineyards.
Castles
Castles served two purposes – protect from others attacking on the river, and primarily to collect tolls from merchants shipping on the rivers.
The Rivers
While on the Moselle and Main, our ship traveled through 43 locks … old mechanism to make sure a) boats can go upriver and down and b) river levels stayed consistently deep for said boats, regardless of the weather.
