We left Berlin for a small country town called Halsenbach. It was very quiet rural community.

We used it as a base to go to Boppard and Saint Goar. These are two popular towns on the Rhine. The first picture is the main square in Boppard. The second photo is a wall that was discovered while excavating for a new structure. The square looking items are tombs that are dated to 700 AD.

We moved on to Saint Goar.

We hiked up to Castle Rheinfels. It was built around 1245 AD. Count Katzenelnbogen built it, like others, to collect money from the commerce traffic on the Rhine.

After a good rest, we went to Trier. Porta Nigra, a Roman built gate to the city, is the landmark for Trier. Trier is the oldest Roman town north of the Alps. The gate is dated to 200 AD. Trier was established just before Fort Morgan in 16 BC.

These are the remains of the a Roman bath house dated to 400 AD. We expect to use one in Bath, England.

The romanesque Dom is more than 1600 years old. It is the oldest bishops church in Germany. The most precious relic is the Holy Robe (the Tunic) of Christ, according to their literature. We were impressed by a robotic machine that was reprinting the bible in front of the church. The robot held a large calligraphy pen. It was writing on one large roll of paper.

We are now in Kobern-Gondorf. It is a small town near Cochem.

Cochem is on the Mosel River which meets up with the Rhine at Koblenz. It is home to Reichsburg Castle. It was a 1.5 mile walk straight up. I just wanted to use a telephoto lens but Lynn said no.

This is the view looking at the Mosel River from Reichsburg Castle.

We now move on to Strasbourg, France (June 11). Clyndine, bring some light rain gear, and a warm sweat shirt or sweater. June can be rainy and cool. We haven't found the need for anything heavier. Also, always have change in your pocket. Using a public bathroom will costs between .50 and 1 euro and the machine will not give change. A small cup of coffee cost between $5.00 to $7.00 USD. Beer is much cheaper and tastes much better. The food is great and so are the sweets. Meals are running us about $30.00 USD for dinner. Breakfast includes everything you can imagine-eggs, fruit (fresh), meats, bread, cheese, juices (fresh), nuts, yogurt, and cereals.