As we travelled up the Rhine River, our second stop in Germany was at the city of Koblenz.  The city is at the confluence of the Moselle and Rhine rivers, and the heights above the place give one a truly impressive vista. 

The fortress of Ehrenbreitstein in situated on a hill overlooking Koblenz.  We toured this mighty edifice, being guided by a man pretending to be a British engineering office serving in His Majesty’s army circa 1836.  I believe he was supposed to be a military attache in Britain’s Prussian embassy at that time.  1836 was the year the fortress was completed.  Construction had begun during the Napoleonic wars.  As it turned out, Ehrenbreitstein never came under direct attack in any of the following conflicts.

Ehrenbreitstein Fortress

We descended from the fortress by the means of cable car, and we had a truly beautiful view of the city.  In the photograph below you can see where the Moselle enters the Rhine River.  The monument at the juncture of the rivers is an equestrian statue of Wilhelm I, first emperor of a united Germany.  The flags are those of the German states that made up the empire.  If you look closely, you can see two cable cars passing above the river.

Koblenz

The Moselle rises on the Vosges mountains of eastern France  It is the bluer of the two river in this photo, and from this height it presents a magnificent overlook. Observe that there is a riverboat heading upstream on the Rhine – probably a Viking.

Once we exited the cable car, we had a walking tour of the city’s downtown area.  It is an interesting and attractive place.

That evening we dined in a Koblenz restaurant.  The musical entertainment was excellent, but the food was disappointing.