Sunday in Cochem
This post will be heavy on photos and light on text. Hope that's OK. We arrived in the village of Cochem around breakfast time looking at the possibility of touring the city in the rain. Indeed, it started raining before we left the ship, but it stopped quickly, and by the time we finished the tour, the sun was shining. 

We ended up in the first group to tour the castle. Because of narrow road and limits on tour sized, groups of around 25 people must be taken to the castle in small buses one-at-a-time. So we got to go first. The castle tour went well, and we had a good guide who continued his tour in the town. I've inserted a few photos of the castle below.

One of the "It's not a frog, it's a lion in a helment" mantle pieces.

I skipped the bus ride back into town and walked back down to meet the group at the market square. After the tour we walked back to the ship, stopping at a mustard shop to taste. 

Vineyard on the way down from the castle

Note that all the signs below the blue ones are for hiking trails.

The afternoon was spent sailing to Engers Germany where we’ll dock overnight before cruising down the Rhine gorge tomorrow morning. We had a lecturer come on board to give a talk on the Moselle. He was entertaining, but he spoke for over an hour with no visual aids, and I think that folks were nodding off. The sun has come out again, and it’s a gorgeous day to sit on front of the boat and watch the Moselle vineyards pass by. 

Happy Cruisers

Equipment for bringing grapes down from the vineyard

More equipment. This one climbs a pipe. Pipes can be used for transport or fertilization.

Friendly campers along the Moselle

We’re approaching another lock where our intrepid lecturer will hop off the boat and be picked up by his wife. We passed the Deutsches Eck (German Corner) at Koblenz and sailed into the Rhine around 6:00 p.m. 

Kaiser Bill at the Deutsches Eck

The ship continued north to Engers where we docked for the night. I’m not sure why Avalon docks at Engers (just in front of the Engers Schloss), but I suspect that it’s convenient and cheap, and there’s no chance that the ship will be rafted. 

Finally, a cautionary picture. Never travel with a nerd!