Koblenz to Mainz boat and bike trip along the Rhine day one

A few more scenes of Koblenz:  A church and a fountain.

After embarking at Koblenz we proceeded down the river to Mainz, our first stop.  The following pictures are of the scenery along the river.  There were many castles.  Apparently each town had their own Baron who exacted tolls from all who floated by.  They also demanded property, work and crops from the people who lived in the surrounding towns and country in return for protection. 

 Isn't it nice to have a military force to keep us safe rather being extorted by a robber Baron who strong-armed people for secure borders?  I'm glad I didn't live back then.  There's a few people today (I'm thinking of smug, white people demonstrating against the police in certain parts of our country) that I think should be sent back to that time or be forced to live anywhere that doesn't have an effective police force to fight against crime.

BUT....I digress.  These photos show how picturesque the landscape along Germany's heartland is.

Every town had a Baron but also a church.  You can see plenty of both along the river.

This shows typical German weather, grey and cloudy. However, it got rather hot during the day.

You may notice all the vineyards.  The Rhine is known for its wine:  Mosel-Saar-Ruwer, Ahr, Nahe, Pfalz, Rheingau, Rheinhessen

Some history books assert that European civilization started with the enlightenment period of the 17th and 18th centuries.  I must say the "unenlightened men"of the previous centuries certainly constructed some incredible feats of architecture.

My next post will be our trip around Mainz.  See you then.