Koblenz, Germany - Where the Mosel and Rhine Meet

A walkable, pretty little city, that 25 years ago celebrated its 2,000th birthday.  Hard to comprehend.  Koblenz sits at the confluence of the Rhine and Mosel Rivers.

Part of our directions to the flat includes walking past some street art.  This is some of the best we have seen:

 We've arrived late,  its time for dinner.  Our host walks downtown with us, pointing out some places to eat as we go.  Choosing one, we learn from the very congenial owner that a special seasonal mushroom from Russia is in now and they have created a special menu around it.  Its name is Pfifferlinge.  He gives us a sample in a cream sauce that is divine.  Google tells me its chanterelle.  These ones are so very tiny that physical characteristics aren't defined.  Paul has his with schnitzel and mine with pasta.

The next day our host recommends that we take the tram up to the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On the way up we can see:

The Rhine Promenade and the Deutsches Eck (German Corner) with the enormous equestrian statue of Emperor William 1 ...

the confluence of the rivers;

Stone bridge over the Mosel:

And the ticket includes entrance fees to the fortress.

There are several museums, including a permanent display documenting the fortresses 5,000-year history; a youth hostel, a dining room for baroque meals and a venue for outdoor theatre and concerts.

Random photos from the fortress:

Photography section with historical & contemporary photos and photographic equipment:

This is a book and its case.  The silver item is attached to the book.  No explanation of what it is.

We spend the afternoon walking the Rhine Promenade.  It would be glorious to have a bicycle here.  Unlike the Scandinavian countries, we see relatively few bikes here and no vike rentals downtown or on the banks of the Rhine.

Two of the opulent homes along the Rhine.

One of the many statues along the river:

This is either a very large duck or a small goose...lovely markings.  

We do see Canada geese on the Rhine too.

Time out is needed to do some bookings for our next few stops and heading to the DB train station to buy train tickets... DB won't let me buy online because I have a Canadian cell number.

In the evening we finally make it to the old town and are glad we didn't miss it.  A glorious mix of very old and new.  We enjoy some gelato.  Then head home, tired but full of all we've seen.

Tomorrow we are up early to head out on the trip that brought us to Koblenz ... a boat ride with KD lines on the so-called 'Romantic Rhine' from Koblenz to Mainz.