Early tour by canal boat this morning, we went all around the central part of Strasbourg. It was foggy and cold, but because the bateaux (boats, in French) were covered, our photography was poor, but we were warm. Cruising thru the little locks with the city's shops and quaint houses on either side was charming. Oh, to walk the quay in the early morning, sit at a café and sip strong coffee, munch on a croissant… We got off the canal bateaux and walked in...

Cold morning, but out we went for a walking tour of Speyer. First on the list was the Imperial Cathedral of the Holy Roman Empire of Germanic Nations. The Bishop lives across the square, and since it was Sunday, church services were beginning. The bells began to toll, and went on for twenty minutes. That just wouldn't happen in the US - people would complain their sleep was interrupted. We were invited to attend mass, but walked on to see the old medieval ...

What a fantastic day! It started with a walking tour of Boppard with a few lazy snowflakes, so of course after our introduction to the town, we headed to the cocoa shop for hot chocolate with chili - that's chili powder sprinkled in the cocoa! Topped with whipped cream, it was quite good and warming. Then some serious shopping at the Euro Store, like the Dollar Store back home - we needed ear muffs, and gloves and a Siberian hat for Darrel. Found a neat eg...

We have gone about as far as the boat can go on the Mosel, so in the middle of the night, we turned around and headed back down the river, passing the same town, but will be stopping at new ones. Just in the past two/three days I finally felt adjusted: sleep normal, digestion good, feet fine, back strong, and today, a tooth broke! Good news, our insurance covers the dentist bill, but who wants to see a dentist on their vacation? - one who doesn't speak Englis...

We moored overnight in Issel, a very small town with a couple of houses, a church and a cemetery. We could go ashore of course, but Steven cautioned us to be sure to be back aboard befor the boat sailed at 5:45 a.m. I felt it shove away from the shore, and fell right back asleep. Two hours later, I woke and jumped up to get ready, thinking breakfast would be served for only another 45 minutes! In pulling the drawer out from UNDER my bunk, the whole thing ca...