2006 Rhine & Mosel Rivers III Koblenz, Dusseldorf --- Holland

Day 11, March 26, Sunday: KOBLENZ/ OPTIONAL MARKSBURG

Grand Circle Travel offered an optional tour to Marksburg Castle, but when Rolf described the steps and then more steps) I opted out. Instead I disembarked for a walking tour of Koblenz. Here at Koblenz the mighty Rhine is joined by the Mosel River (maps and picture). The city's name comes from the Latin word for confluence — a reminder of the region's Roman past. The town became a city in the 13th century and served as the home of French refugees during the French Revolution.

Our ship was tethered just past the Baldinbrucke and conveniently along the famous Promenade.

Further down and at the end of the block was the Unterim Stern. Our guide then led us over to Florins Markt. with its Protestant Ev. Florinskirche (cross on map).

Another shot of beautiful architecture of Florins Markt.














Yolande pointed out a manhole cover inscribed with a spitting boy. Then we went over to the nearby Catholic Frauenkirche where a Sunday mass was in progress.

Moving on we encountered some interesting “monumental” figures at Munz Platz.

The story behind the monument involves a woman selling vegetables from a basket, an errant dog, and a policeman writing out a ticket. For some reason the culprit dog was missing in the artist’s final product. I was pleasantly surprised when Yolande pointed out a yellow house on Munz Platz where the famous Austrian diplomat and architect of the 1815 Congress of Vienna was born. Other sights I recorded were the dome of Frauenkirche and some decorative corners of buildings at an intersection.

Down the street we found a marker pointing out the destruction endured by Koblenz during World War II and portions of the Berlin Wall built into a monument.










The formal part of the walking tour ended, but those of us who wanted to could use free time to further explore the city. I left on my own down the Promenade (map) to the end of the “peninsula.” A statue of Kaiser Wilhelm, the unifier of Germany, posed on top of a massive foundation, dominated the Deutsches Eck, or German corner. Across the river stood the Festung Ehbrenbreitstein fortress network. At the tip of the Deutsches Eck was flying the black, red and yellow flag of Germany.

I then walked along the Promenade of the Rhine River side (map) to reach the Basilica of St. Kastor, which had been consecrated in 836 AD. The church received its present predominately Romanesque structure from 1160 to 1208.

I personally thought the best view of the church was of the backside of the structure with the rotunda Inside: Over the altar was a beautiful fresco, dated 1849. Behind the Baptismal Font was an intriguing modern tapestry symbolizing the Holy Spirit. Back outside with a look at the high twin towers.

Before returning to the ship, I took one last shot of the Kaiser monument, this time with the “French end” of the horse.




This evening we had entertainment in the lounge-- a presenter who discussed German wine. We learned about the distinctive German grapes, such as the Riesling from the Mosel Valley, the Gewurztraminers of the Rhine-Hessen region, and the Weissburgunder, and about the character and distinctive flavor of these outstanding wines

Day 12, March 27, Monday DUSSELDORF

In the wee hour of the morning the Debussy passed by the famous Riesling from the Mosel Valley(map). Darkness prevented seeing details of the ruins along the shore, but one could still make out the outline of the still standing towers on the banks.

The night before we passed this historic site, the movie “The Bridge at Remagen” (1969, directed by John Guillermin) was shown on our TV sets.

In the last days of World War II, the Allied Army desperately searched for a bridgehead across the impenetrable Rhine River, in order to launch a major assault into the center of Germany. "Bridge at Remagen" told the true story of the battle for this last bridgehead, from both the German and American perspective. A war weary American unit is ordered to capture whole the last bridge left standing across the Rhine. They succeeded to move troops across the Rhine. Ten days later the bridge collapsed.

The 606th Combat Engineering Battalion moved into the area following the collapse. Eventually they moved on to Cologne, as did we on the Debussy.

We passed Cologne in the early hours of the morning, giving us an excellent view of the great Cologne (Koln) Cathedral, the largest Gothic cathedral in Germany. Construction began in 1248 in order to house the alleged relics of the three Magi. The cathedral managed to survive WWII relatively unscathed. The other significant building on the video is the Town Hall. Because I was not able to tape the front facade of the cathedral from the ship, I used a picture for the video.

We continued our way toward Dusseldorf (map), one of Germany’s wealthiest cities. We loaded up in our color-coded buses, armed with local guides, and began with a bus tour of the city.

From the bus window I captured part of the Konigsalle, the "kings' avenue" that is generally just called the Ko. One of the most elegant shopping streets in Europe, it's filled with exclusive boutiques and galleries, all very expensive but delightfully interesting. The street flanks an ornamental canal, shaded by trees and crossed by bridges. One side is lined with office buildings, the other with elegant shops.

After our bus concluded the highlight tour, we were dropped off at the Rheinturn, a tower on the Rhine with a magnificent view. Old landmark buildings destroyed by the war were carefully replicated and today stand side by side with newer, architectural wonders.

The newer modern buildings included one that looked like a mistake made from wrinkled Reynolds aluminum foil. Another looked off-kilter.

Other recently constructed buildings, however, were aesthetically pleasing, such as the Landtag immediately below us.

The 360-degree view of the city was great. We could even see our Debussy docked along the river.

Our walking tour of Dusseldorf began with its quaint old city (Altstadt map) and historic churches and brewpubs. Conveniently located potties, cleverly marked, helped tourists immensely. The Alstadt has been called the longest pub in the world because of the 200-plus bars found here.

We made our way to the round 13th century Schossturn (Castle Tower) and the 13th century Gothic Rathaus (Town Hall). The Neanderkirche (right)was the only church our guide seemed inclined to include. He said that following the Thirty Years War that Protestants wanted to build this church in predominately Catholic Dusseldorf, a project approved only if it were built unobtrusively back from the road.




The Heinrich Heine House was an important landmark because Heine, who was born here, was Germany’s greatest lyric poet. He was the author of the famous Die Loreli and Schubert and Schumann set his poems to music. His works were prohibited during the Nazi era, during which Die Loreli was officially attributed to an unknown author. Today the main street off the Altstadt is named after him.

St. Andrews (Andreas) Church in the heart of the Altstadt is considered one of the most im-portant in Dusseldorf. though our guide gave it short shrift. The early baroque and late German Renaissance architecture of both interior and exterior of this Jesuit church were worth noting.

The church was completed in a fairly short period of time (1622-1629) right in the middle of the Thirty Years War.










The shuttle bus picked us up at the nearby Opera House (map) and transported us back to the ship. After dinner we were treated to a fantastic show put on by the ship’s crew. Entertainment included group songs, hilarious puppetry, skits, and the ubiquitous “If I were not upon the sea....” Fortunately, nobody was injured.

The evening closed with audience participation of the Chicken Dance, WMCA, and a snake dance.

Day 13, March 28,Tuesday: NIJMEGEN HOME HOSTED LUNCH/ NETHERLANDS

After the river flowed past Bonn, Germany it became the Lower Rhine and emerged onto the North German Plain before emptying into the North Sea. At the Netherlands frontier, it divides into two parallel distributaries, the Lek and the Waal, as it crosses a wide, marshy plain and a great delta before entering the North Sea. Much of this area is at or below sea level, but diking contributed to its becoming one of the most densely populated and important economic regions on the continent.The Thirty Years' War, 1618 through 1648, ended with the final separation of the Rhine head-waters and delta area from Germany. This territory would later become Holland.

Following our disembarkation meeting in the lounge we set out (10 am) for our walking tour of Nijmegen, the Netherland’s oldest town.

Just outside our ship was the famous bridge over the Waal (Wallbrug Arnhemse) that had been the
subject of the movie “One Bridge Too Far.” (shown on the TV set the night before in our cabins). During WWII Nijmegen was liberated when the famous operation Market Garden of September 1944 eventually resulted in German forces being driven out of the southern part of the Netherlands. This bold plan of Field-Marshal Montgomery involved parachuting three divisions of troops behind enemy lines.

After encountering bitter resistance, US troops succeeded in establishing a bridgehead on the Waal here in Nijmegen and were joined by British troops on September 20th. Unfortunately, similar landings near Arnhem (led by “James Bond” in the movie) proved less successful, and only 2200 men of the original 10,000 were evacuated on the night of September 25th.






We walked over to the City Gate where our guide said that troops of William of Orange pursued the agent of Philip II, the Duke of Alba (Alva), into the city in 1568 and was driven back though the same gate.

Inside the old city at Wijzenplatz we observed a monument to the Dutch Jews who had died in concentration camps during WWII. Further on we came across the Commandery of St. John that was built in the 12th century as a hospital and later served as a butchers’ market. The focal point of the city was the attractive De Waag and the Grote Mark (Great Market) with its pleasant shops. One nearby “coffee shop” had a large bold “pot plant” sign to indicate that the product, legal in Holland, was available there.

The old ornate entrance gate (1605) to St. Stevenskerk (Stevens Church) was inviting and led to the really quite attractive 13-15th century church. Across the church courtyard was the Latin School. Skull and crossed bone symbols adorned the building indicating the school was on the site of a cemetery. I zoomed in on one of the twelve Apostle statues, that of St. Andrew. Our guide now left us on our own. I had to inquire about the location of the monument to those accidentally killed by an allied bombing mistake, and managed to locate the site. The monument was quite touching. It consisted of an enclosed playground area with a solitary empty swing, symbolizing the children who were part of the 800 casualties of that accidental bombing.

Our evening concluded with a Discovery Series visit at the home of a local family who would be our host for dinner. We were dropped off in small groups at various locations around the city. Our particular host was a man who graciously showed us around his small but well-appointed apartment. The gentleman prepared and served us “Dutch” food consisting of roast pork, potatoes and cauliflower --accompanied by some tasty white wine.

Day 14, March 29, Wednesday: KINDERDIJK/ /DELTA WORKS TOUR NETHERLANDS

Our agenda this morning started off with a tour of Kinderdijk (map), where we were to see 19 windmills built around 1740. To see these symbols of Holland, we embarked on a boat trip through the long drainage canal that feeds into the River Lek. The sturdy windmills along the banks had been well preserved, and in 1997 were made a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Our boat ride ended at the old 1924 electric pump station that replaced many of the pumping windmills. The functions of the pump station were, in turn, replaced by a more modern diesel-powered facility built in the 1970s. The basic function of all of these devices was to prevent flooding of the Alblasserwaard, the polder on which Kinderdijk stands. It was the flooding during the 13th century that led to the cutting of long canals called weteringen to carry excess water away. The basic principle behind all this was gravity. Water was pumped into holding canals regulated by a damming mechanism. When the tide was out the water was released to flow into the river and out to sea. The dam mechanism was then closed and the procedure was repeated with each flowing of the tide.

Our guide led us to a working mill and explained how one family lives in each mill to keep them in working order. The government issues a stipend for upkeep. A look inside revealed the wooden cogs and primitive, yet sophisticated, mechanisms that drive the pumps. The living quarters were cramped, yet homelike. Little kitchens were constructed outside the mills as a safety precaution because a fire in the wooden mills invited disaster.

The Debussy moved on to the fortress town of Willemstad (map). Those of us who were taking the Delta Works Tour had only a short time to visit this historic city before the bus was to depart. In 1583, William the Silent,prince of Orange, chose this site in North Brabant for the construction
of a star-shaped fortress. A Spanish agent murdered William in the following year and his son named the fortification after his father.

The first site I came upon in my brief walk was the Arsenal from 1793 and the canon along side the building.

One could hardly ignore the octagonal Dutch Reformed Church dating from 1607, which has the distinction of being the first church built in the Netherlands specifically for Protestant worship (other Protestant churches were from existing Catholic churches).

My next objective was the Domed Church (right) at the end of Voorsstraat. For some reason the church was surrounded with a water filled moat. All bridges over the moat were securely locked. My guess is that the church is not people-friendly. As I walked back on Voorsstraat, I came upon two little Dutch girls dressed in Costume -- who readily posed for the camera.

The optional tour via motor coach was pretty much loaded when I reached the ship. The Delta Works, a restoration project known worldwide for its hydro engineering, begun after flooding had devastated Holland. Originally, the province was a collection of islands—easy prey to the sea. Now the islands are connected and protected by a series of dams, dikes, and bridges. The destructive tides that flooded the islands in 1953 and claimed the lives of 1,800 people are still remembered by the inhabitants of Zeeland. Since then, Dutch technology (photos) and the gigantic Delta Works have prevented a recurrence.

This tour showed us several of the ingenious technical achievements designed over the past 35 years, and gave us an impressive idea of how the Dutch have claimed, reclaimed, and protected their homeland from the threat of the sea.

The best part of the tour was our walking down and into one of the pylons. The North Sea was to our left.

When the locks were closed, the North Sea could be furious, but as the locks released held-back water, the water pushed back against the sea. Our visit concluded, we drove over the structure with its many pylons back to our ship.

As we cruised toward Belgium and ate dinner, I looked out the window and admired the sunset with reflection on the river.





Day 15, March 30, Thursday: ANTWERP, BELGIUM

Located on the banks of the Schelde River (map), Antwerp is Belgium’s major port (2nd largest city) and has been commercially important in European trade since the eleventh century. Antwerp is considered the capital of Flemish Belgium. In spite of damage suffered during both World Wars, Antwerp remains a city of beautiful historic architecture dating to the 16th century. The modern highway “Ring” around the city is built on top of a 16th century moat.

On an included walking tour, we strolled with a local guide into the Old Town. Just inside the city and on the main street (Scheldeken) of the old city was this historic Guest House.

To our right on Steenhouwersvesl was the 16th century printing house, now a printing museum Plantin-Moretus. On map the Plantin-Moretus is in the lower left corner, just above St. Andrieskerk)

Then the Statue of St. Catherine and a view of the Cathedral of Our Lady from Pilgrim Street (moving upwards on the map).

Pilgrim Street itself had interesting quaint historic buildings. When we arrived at the outstanding guild houses (Gildehuzen), I turned the camera first to some early blooming flowers, multicolored pansies,

... then to the City Hall (Stadhuis)

... and Guild Houses.

Grote Market
Very impressive was the landmark Grote Market, a central square surrounded by 16th century guild houses, and its Town Hall. The Stadhuis was completed in 1566, and is one of the most important buildings of the Northern Renaissance.

At the heart of the Grote Market stands the Brabo Fountain, a haphazard pile of rocks surrounded by a bronze of Silvius Brabo, the city’s first hero, depicted flinging the hand of the giant Antigonus – who terrorized passing ships – into the Scheldt.

My second tape in the camcorder ran out so now I had to resort to using my regular digital camera for the rest of Antwerp. So when I returned to the Debussy for lunch, I made the switch. What’s nice about the digital camera is that I can easily transport the pictures to the computer and e-mail them with ease. 

On my own I spent the afternoon to visit addition sites in Antwerp. Before reaching the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, I passed a large statue of Peter the Great. I assume he merited this honor because he visited here “incognito” in an effort to learn about Western ways (Shipbuilding, dentistry, etc) so he could incorporate his findings in building a modern Russia.

Then came the main object of my afternoon excursion -- The Royal Museum of Fine Arts. The building itself was worthy of a picture. 

Holdings from the museum on photo include:

Peter Brueghel
The Wedding Dance

Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)
Christ on the Straw

Christ Ascending/Descending

Venus

Anthony Van Dyke (1599-1666)
Portrait of the Painter Marten Pepijn, 1632

Lamentations 

Lucas Cranach the Elder (1477-1553)
Eve















After leaving the Museum:

St. Joris Church The church itself isn't that old, but is the second oldest parish after the cathedral.

This church is build on the foundations of the one build in 1304. Under the surrounding street there are still remains of the cemetary that once surrounded the old church.

The Bouria Theatre
Bourla designed a sober, well balanced neo-classicist building with a semi-circular front. The top is decorated with statues of Apollo and the nine muses Below the statues, in small niches, are 17 busts of what was described as 'the heroes of literary and musical drama'. The list of heroes included Schiller, Mozart, Molière Racine, Lopes de la Vega, Van den Vondel, Sofokles and Shakespeare.The interior was decorated with beautiful mosaics, chandeliers and statues. The building's architecture received much acclaim and was known as one of the country's most beautiful structures.

Rubens House
In a side-street (named 'Wapper') of the Meir avenue stands the former house of Peter Paul Rubens, the greatest and most famous of all the Antwerp painters. Rubens bought an existing 16th century house here, after he had returned from his stay in Italy (1600-1608). He lived in the house from 1616 onwards and died here in 1640.

Rubens had it embellished and turned it into one of the most elegant Renaissance-Baroque Houses of the Low Countries, with a beautiful restyled garden and an impressive entrance. It was here that most of his splendid Baroque paintings were created.

A monument erected in his honor is on the right. In the background is the Antwerp Cathedral.

The Giant’s Hand 

The Hand of Antwerp--Legend has it that a giant called Druon Antigon levied exorbitant tolls on every Scheldt boatman who passed his castle, and if anyone would not or could not pay up, the big man gleefully cut off the miscreant's hand and threw it into the river. Druon's comeuppance came from a Roman centurion named Silvius Brabo, who slew the giant and (as if that weren't enough) cut off his hand and threw it into the river, thus avenging the boatmen. The Flemish handwerpen (throwing of the hand) eventually became Antwerpen, the city's Flemish name (it's called Anvers in French).

Historians who deal only in dry facts tell a different story. They claim that sailors described the port city's location as aan-de-werfen (on the wharves). But to the people who live here, the severed, bleeding "Red Hand of Antwerp" is the symbol of their city. You find two statues in the town commemorating the Roman's act of revenge, and replicas of the giant's hand appear in everything from chocolate to brass.

I passed a statue of Peter the Great. Historians tell us that the Tsar used to travel incognito through Europe to learn western ways, so that he could bring them back to Russia.

This spot is where he arrived in Antwerp.








Day 16, March 31, Friday
Breakfast on the ship
Grand Circle provided transportation to the airport in Brussels.
United Airlines flight to Dulles (DC) and United Airlines to MSP