Heading down the Rhine, we enjoyed the many castles perched on crags and of course, the Lorelei Rock. 

Interesting trivia. During WWII the Allies generally tried to avoid bombing churches or old castles. So, suddenly, lots of railroad tunnel mouths and other points got converted into “churches.” And so they remain to this day, with trains running through them every day.

 

 

 

 

 

Passing on to the Moselle River, we stopped at Cochem, where the highlight of our visit was the eleventh century Reichsburg Castle high on a hill, overlooking the town. https://www.reichsburg-cochem.de/index.php?id=4&L=1

The final highlight of our tour and one that was totally unexpected was our visit to the city of Luxembourg.  We began at the American Military Cemetery just outside town and were much moved by the simplicity and yet emotion inspired by the rows of white crosses.  More than 5,000 US Servicemen are buried there including General Patton. (https://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/europe/luxembourg-american-cemetery#.W6KwTS-ZOEI) 

After this visit, we headed into town, where we explored on a walking tour the Chemin de la Corniche with its spectacular view of the 17^thcentury wall and city, the main market area and the Notre Dame Cathedral.  

 

 

We returned to the Cathedral for a wonderful, thirty-minute organ recital. You can see and hear a bit here. (Hint: Crank up the volume!)    

 

And having left our boat, we headed to Paris by bus.  Once there, we visited a Moroccan restaurant near our hotel which we knew from previous visits had a long lunch the following day with a friend from Bangui. Then back to the US after a great trip.