in the early evening. After dinner on the ship we decided to
take a walk. What we found was a charming, quaint little
town. We fell in love with the narrow streets, old buildings
and friendly people. We regretted that we had not gone into
town sooner, perhaps to do a little shopping and get some
dinner! It is one of those places we would like to return to
and just absorb. We were told later that Rudesheim was a
very popular vacation spot for European tourists.
Before arriving in Koblenz on our fifth day, we cruised
down the Middle Rhine. This section of the cruise goes past
some fifty castles and it was spectacular. It was a beautiful
sunny day. Everyone was up on the third deck where the
cruise director told stories and shared the history of many
of the castles. This area is a UNESCO Heritage Site, a well
deserved designation. It is also home to acres and acres of
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
Far Left (page 92): View from the hilltop cathedral
in Breisach and an unusual sculpture in one of the
courtyards
Above: From the Alruna as we sailed down the
Rhine River, vineyards terraced up the hills while a
train transporting Mercedes automobiles to market.
Below: A view of one of the canals in Amsterdam —
many of which are bordered by houseboats. We
were told that approximately 2,500 canal boat
houses and that there was a waiting list for the
purchase of them.
SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017
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