to travel is an opportunity
Day 1 & 2: Tour begins in Koblenz
We hopped on a train from Bacharach to Koblenz. It was a beautiful, relaxing of about an hour train ride along Rhein River. With just had our carry-ons, we walked from Koblenz train station to our first hotel for this tour. There was a bit of hiccups along the way but we made it to hotel Morjan. The hotel was simple, clean with a beautiful balcony view of the Rhein river. After a quick rest, we joined the group for the first time. It was great to meet fellow travelers, most of whom have been on multiple Rick Steves Tours! Our amazing tour guide, Michael, introduced himself, met our buddies, a toast to our trip and we kicked off our first orientation walk.
Our first stop was the Kaiser Wilhelm memorial, a true symbol of German unity. Brian and I climbed the stairs and even ventured inside the large statue the next day! It was a great way to see of where the Mosel and Rhine rivers meet. Did you know that’s where the name “Koblenz” comes from? It means “at the confluence” or “where rivers meet.”
Johannes Muller's statue in the center of the Jesuitenplatz
Basilica of St. Castor
Le Pouce - The thumb César
We passed by several landmarks and art pieces, before heading to a restaurant for our first dinner together. We even made a fun bet with our tour guide to see if he could remember all our names in one go—he almost did it! :)
History Column
A lovely dinner place. Everything was set and prep when we arrived.
Our first art piece from Michael. And it's a must to take a picture.
:D
(That's what he said)
First castle visit. Let's go!
The following day, we hopped on the bus and went to explore Elk Castel. This is a very quaint and well-preserved castle. The guided tour includes access to some of the interior rooms and provides a great history of the structure and the family lines that have inhabited the various buildings.
Exploring the magnificent architecture of our first castle visit ever, with its stunning structure as a picturesque backdrop was exciting.
ELK CASTLE
"A towering fortress of jagged stone".
We ate our lunch at the charming town of Beilstein on the Mosel river. Then, we took the option to hike up the historic old ruined Metternich Castle and admired its picturesque vineyards and other surroundings. We climb up steps of the tower for an even better view. After our lovely visit to this cute town, we hopped on the bus and return to Koblenz.
