On the Tuesday (15th) it was an odd day so sausages rather than bacon on offer for breakfast. I didn't sleep well, there was activity on past midnight and the cabin walls were thin so I could hear snoring from our neighbours. The MV Virginia had set off at 5am to get to Koblenz from Cologne, disturbing when the engines fired up early in the morning. The boat is quite old, built nearly 50 years ago.

We reached Koblenz early afternoon, June our tour guide giving a running commentary as we floated past ruined castles and pretty churches and vineyards on steep hill slopes. As I watched them taking on water for the ship it struck me it wasn't so different from being on the Broads, only bigger. The ships still need pumping out, still need to take on water, still need to find moorings. Virginia and I wandered round Koblenz on our own, seeing an odd layered fountain representing different ages.

During the evening meal Dennis set me puzzles which I disappointed him by answering. They were enigmas I had come across before like the coin swapping where you have only one free space. We also admired the medals on three WW2 veterans who were on the cruise - I couldn't stand it when they were loudly rerunning WW2 in the lounge area. There was a raffle and Virginia won the first prize of Kir champagne - we almost never win things. We weren't sure what to do with our prize, whether we could bring it back home.

Another early start on Wednesday (16th) to get down to Rudesheim. Our bathroom smells a bit, and the water gurgles as if it's trying to get back up the shower drain. Rudesheim is very pretty, and cosier than the cities. I posted some postcards in a yellow postbox, and we wandered round a toy museum and a Christmas ornament shop (better). In the evening had an excursion by land train to see Siegfried's Mechanical Music Cabinets museum which was the highlight of the tour. A peek back at how time was. We skipped the wine tasting.