Koblenz, Germany

Tue 23 Aug 16

We arrived at IJmuiden at about 7am and Holland America had a well organized disembarkation procedure. We had a coach transfer to Amsterdam railway station but had a couple of hours to fill in wandering around that part of the city.

"Left Luggage" is expensive for short term usage at Amsterdam station. €10 per locker for up to 24 hours. We needed three because they are not very big. I suggest if you are considering travelling by train in Europe don't take big suitcases. There is usually a height difference between the train and the platform so you need to be able to lift your cases up and down easily. Also there is not always somewhere to place large cases in the carriage. Small bags can be put on the overhead racks.

We took a train to Koblenz, Germany which is located on the junction of the Rhine and Moselle rivers. 

A scenic trip down the Rhine valley from Köln (Cologne). 

Just for interest, I had a look at how much tickets would cost if bought today compared to when we booked three months ago: €300 compared to €110 for two first class tickets. It pays to book early!!

Stayed at the Brenner Hotel which is clean and comfortable, located between the railway station and the old town centre.

Wed 24 Aug 16

Koblenz, Germany

Parts of the old city which dates back to the middle ages have been preserved and the style of many of the newer buildings have been influenced by the old architecture. 

The are many platz (with lots of restaurants) and a couple of old churches. Most of the old glass leadlight windows in the churches have been replaced by ones of stunning modern design.

We took the cable car up to the old fortress on the hill above the opposite bank of the river to the town. There are a few different museums up there and it is certainly worth a visit.

Advice to photographers: if you want good photos looking down on the town, go up in the morning because in the afternoon you will be looking directly into the sun!

The leaves on the plane trees were starting to change colour and the shop windows were full of winter clothes but it was 28 degrees C. Not the best conditions to be walking around in but a lovely city and I would recommend a visit for a day or two. It must be very popular with Europeans (Germans) because there is a large caravan park on the other side of the river which seemed to be quite full and hardly a non European accent was heard all day. It also seems to be a stopping point for the river cruises as there were a few of them in port.