While we slept, the ship sailed through the night for Cologne (Koln if you are German) arriving around 8:00am. After breakfast we took a walking tour of the old city to view the medieval buildings, squares and the magnificent 900 year old St Peter and St Mary Catholic Cathedral. The most celebrated work of art in the cathedral is the Shrine of the Three Kings, built in 1190. It is believed to hold the remains of the Three Wise Men (Magi). The city was heavily bombed by the Allies during WWII with significant damage caused. The main train station (built in the late 1800s) is immediately next to the Cathedral and was also heavily bombed and this resulted in much damage to the Cathedral. At the outbreak of WWII the ancient stained glass windows were removed and stored away for safety and reinstalled following the end of the war. The original stain glass windows are amazing.

We returned to the ship for lunch and set sail for Koblenz where we docked for the night. Koblenz is where the Rhine and Moselle rivers converge.

We passed the remains of the Ludendorff Bridge (Remagen) bitterly fought for by both Allied and German forces during WWII. At the end of Operation Lumberjack (March 1945), the troops of the American 1st Army approached Remagen and they were much surprised to find that the bridge was still standing. The Ludendorff Bridge was notable for its capture on 7-8 March 1945 by the U.S. Army during the Battle of Remagen. This enabled the U.S. Army to establish a bridgehead on the eastern side of the Rhine.

Following dinner we took a walking tour of the medieval walled-town precinct. The key points of interest included a memorial containing bricks from the Berlin Wall, Ludwig's Statue, a 1000 year-old fort originally built to house a garrison to protect the city, and many medieval warehouses, dwellings and shops.

It is a shame to see (and hear about) the scale of destruction of the magnificent architectural and historical sites as a result of the two world wars. However, plaudits to the German government and UNESCO for declaring much of the old and ancient areas protected and providing financial assistance to restore them - the tourist dollar certainly helps too!!

Tomorrow morning we sail through the Rhine Gorge to Rudesheim.

Today's insights:
- Cologne was founded by the Romans in 50AD however archaeologists have found evidence that man was in the area about 1500BC.

- Cologne is home of the perfume - 4711.

- Bayer Pharmaceuticals, Ford Motor Company and IBM have a significant presence in Cologne.