Wurzburg is a city that has reinvented itself. On 16 March 1945, about 90% of the city was destroyed in 17 minutes by firebombing from 225 British Lancaster bombers during a World War II air raid. Würzburg became a target for its role as a traffic hub and to break the spirit of the population. The city became known as the "Grab am Main" ("the grave on the River Main") and the subsequent American occupation even put forward proposals to build a new city in an...

Started today at a leisurely pace as we continued sailing along the river. We were treated to a glassblowing demonstration by a traditional German glassblower this morning. The exquisite works of art were a hit with many of the passengers who literally fought to get hold of the items they wanted!! After another delightful lunch we were ready for our afternoon excursion. Miltenberg is an enchanting riverside town that looks like it stepped out of a fairy tale. D...

This morning we disembarked in Koblenz but to be honest we were not here to see Kolbenz but use it as a stopping port for the ship so we could visit Marksburg Castle at Braubach, 11 kilometres away. The middle Rhine River is renowned for castles (about 30) but Marksburg is a beautifully preserved medieval castle and is the only castle in the Rhine Valley to have never been destroyed. Koblenz is a 2,000-year-old city at the confluence of the Rhine and Moselle Ri...

Today saw us visit the city of Cologne with the excursion being a walking tour after we were dropped off at Monheim and had a brief bus ride to the city centre. Cologne is an interesting mix of old and new and could easily be known as the city of churches. Whilst the highlight is the cathedral there are at least a dozen famous Baroque churches around the city. Unfortunately, we had the "guide from hell" today who was rude to the group and gave little th...

Whenever I think of the Netherlands I think of windmills so today's visit was rather special. This morning we sailed to Kinderdijk, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, for a tour of this ingenious network of windmills and other flood management devices. You learn why the windmills were built and see how they work, plus you enter a working windmill for a tour of its mechanisms and living quarters. We had a fabulous guide who had lived here for her whole life and was ...