River Cruise Diary – Cochem, Germany

Another day. Another town.

We woke up Saturday morning in Cochem, Germany…the last port-of-call on the Mosel River. Another modest town whose main industries are wine and tourism. The day started gloomy with a low ceiling that certainly made for a good shot of the main attraction framed by the morning mist. Thankfully, things would brighten up by afternoon and become the best sunny day of the trip.

Reichsburg Castle, Cochem, Germany (16 November 2019)

The Reichsburg Castle dates to at least 1130. At various times during the Middle Ages, it held high Imperial rank but was long a ruin until 1868 when a Berlin businessman bought it for a pittance.

 

Reichsburg Castle Interior (16 November 2019) 

His name was Louis Frederic Jacques Ravené and he restored some of it in fine Gothic Revival style to become the family’s summer home. The town now owns the castle which is Cochem’s main tourist attraction, brimming with period furnishings, antlers, armor and other Germania.

View of Cochem and the Mosel River from 

Reichsburg Castle (16 November 2019) 

Ancient castle-builders were most concerned about security when they chose their high defensible locations. Needless to say, the views are pretty good.

 Cochem Cemetery (16 November 2019)

After touring the castle and grounds, we walked down through the town’s streets and alleys to learn more about the area. We stopped at this cemetery on the edge of town where there is a special section for World War I graves. The castle adds an impressive medieval background.

Bakery, Cochem, Germany (16 November 2019) 

We Exceptional Americans have gotten used to supermarkets and superstores where you can buy every kind of item that, at one time, used to have dedicated stores of their own. My old Bronx neighborhood had a main commercial street with a modest A&P market but it also had a bakery and a butcher and a fish store and a green grocer. It’s still that way in these charming old European towns. The stores are popular and have spectacular selections.

Leaving the Haunted Castle (16 November 2019) 

As we returned to the boat after some free time, we were told to look for this weather vane on the roof of a building near the river…because when we descend the stairs to the riverfront, an interesting decoration on top of the vane can be seen with the castle.

A Sunny Afternoon on the Mosel River (16 November 2019)

As noted earlier, we finally lucked out with a blue-sky afternoon to appreciate the Mosel valley in the Autumn light. This is the opposite of open-ocean, big-boat cruising with nothing but the sea to see. I’d much rather slowly float downstream with vivid scenes of the countryside just a stone’s throw from either side of the boat. The day ended as we sailed back to the Rhine and the next port-of-call, the former German capital of Bonn.