Cochem to Berncastel-Kues

We had spent the night moored in Cochem. The place where we were moored had no mobile signal, and the boat’s WiFi was useless.

We had originally planned to do an excursion on the Landtrain, which takes the passengers around Cochem, but decided last night that it wasn’t worth doing as we had walked around much of the town already. Instead, we walked into town ourselves and just strolled around. We stopped for a coffee at the riverside, then shopped in a store we visited yesterday. This store sells various liquers, and we were particularly impressed by the peach flavour we had sampled yesterday. We purchased a bottle to take home, then made our way back to the boat.

At midday, the boat threw its moorings and continued its passage upriver. We had a glorious afternoon sitting on the sun deck watching the picture postcard villages float by, and traversing a number of locks that raised us up bit by bit.

Late in the afternoon, we returned to our cabin. I finally cracked the technology problems that had been troubling me. They were partly caused by the dreadful WiFi in the lower part of the river (caused by the steep-sided surrounding hills. I had also been logged out of my Google account without my knowledge, and it took a while to realise this and log back into the system.

We met up in the bar for a briefing on Berncastel-Kues, where we would be tomorrow, then went down to dinner. Di chose a nice piece of cod, while I selected Nasi Goreng (with duck breast on top).

Back in the lounge, after dinner, we grabbed a remote signal box so that we could participate in the quiz. The questions were all multiple-choice, and to answer, you just pressed the corresponding button on the remote device. It was quite good fun, but we didn’t do particularly well.

During the quiz, we arrive at the dock in Bernkastel-Kues. I nipped up on deck to get some photos of the town at night. We then sat chatting until gone eleven, when we all headed off to bed.

Cochem

After a very good night’s sleep, we woke to find the boat had left the dock and was now cruising down the Moselle towards our first stop. I settled down to write my blog, but was stymied by the lack of WiFi and poor mobile signal. Writing offline, I recorded my thoughts to upload later. By 08:30, we were passing through the first lock on the trip. (The Moselle drops 150 metres from where it rises in France to where it meets the Rhine, so there are several locks which manage the flow of water.)

Mid-morning, we had a safety briefing from the Captain. As part of the briefing, he explained that we would cover 348km during the trip, and pass through 18 locks all told. After the Captain had finished, the Cruise Director, Jean, took over and gave a briefing on our first port, Cochem. It’s only a small town with a population of 5000 people and is dominated by its castle. During the war, there was a concentration camp housing 13000 prisoners working for Bosch, making pumps for tanks. More about Cochem, later.

We spent the rest of the morning up on the sun deck, drifting along the river passing some beautiful scenery, and chocolate box villages.

We docked in Cochem at midday. We grabbed a light salad for lunch and prepared for the afternoon’s excursion. We were split into two groups with our QuietVox boxes set to different channels for each group. 

Our guide was a very chatty lady of senior years who took us along the riverbank and across the bridge to the main part of town. All the while, she was giving us a running commentary, pointing out places of interest and explaining the history. She took us through the old market squares, passing several of the town gates. Here and there, there were marks on the walls showing how high some of the historic floods have been. Some of these reached the second floor of the houses and shops. 

In the Church of St Martin, she pointed out the stained glass windows which had been done in the style of Chagall, and were really quite astounding. (I was a little surprised to hear that the population of Cochem is predominantly Roman Catholic).

Leaving the church, we made a few more stops in the higher part of the town before taking a minibus up to the Reichsburg Castle. The castle was built around 1000AD for the Counts of Palatine. It remained the seat of the Counts until 1689, when it was destroyed by the French and remained a ruin until the 1800s, when the Berlin counsellor of commerce, Jakob Ravene, bought it for the equivalent of 1000Euros and set about restoring it to its former glory (based on historical prints and drawings). 

 The castle is now owned and maintained by the city of Cochem and is available for concerts, wine festivals, and weddings, as well as being open to tourists. It is said that the castle was the inspiration for the castle in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast.

After the tour, we returned to the boat for a drink and then set off again along the riverbank to one of the wineries for a wine tasting. This was led by an enthusiastic chap who explained about the various grapes and the difference between those grown on the flat, as opposed to those which are grown on the steep slate hillsides. He led us through four tastings, each one of a higher quality than the one before. It was very interesting, but as I am not a great lover of white wine, it was more of an intellectual exercise than anything else.

Back on board, we had the formal Welcome Reception, where we were introduced to the heads of department. Then, we went down for dinner. Di had a scrumptious-looking short rib of beef, while I had a lentil curry with Jasmine rice. Having eaten, we went up to the lounge where the evening’s entertainment was about to begin. A young American violinist, married to a German, took to the stage and kept us riveted for about 40 minutes. Hearing some classics, some pop music, and even Led Zeppelin’s Kashmir performed with such vigour on the violin was riveting. I think it was one of the best evenings’ entertainment we have had on any of our cruises.

That was it. It had been a long day. Time for bed, said Zebedee.

Up River

This morning we were up early in order to be ready for our collection by the chauffeur who took us to Heathrow airport. Unlike last year, we had a private transfer, so we had the car to ourselves with no diversions to pick up other travellers. We were at the airport by 9:05, and by 9:25 we were through security and we’ve had our comfort break. Trevor and Jane were not far behind us, and we met up in Leon for a coffee. Our plane was delayed by 25 minutes or so, but by midday we were in the air, on our way to Frankfurt.

Despite the late take-off, the flight was only 55 minutes, and we were soon wandering through the labyrinth of the airport to the border station where we queued for quite a long time as we were all subjected to the new European Entry System checks. We collected our bags, boarded the coach and set off to Koblenz. The trip was about 75 minutes, and I took the opportunity to enjoy a nap.

At Koblenz, where the River Moselle meets the Rhine, we were greeted on board our home for the week, The Spirit of the Moselle. We were shown to our cabin, where we dropped our hand luggage, and then made our way to the lounge for a cup of tea and a beer. Once refreshed, we had a quick look around the ship before returning to our cabin to unpack our luggage (which had magically appeared in the cabin while we were in the lounge).

We made our way back to the lounge, where we met up with Jane and Trevor, and went down to dinner in the Panorama Restaurant. The meal was excellent with free-flowing wine and a small but perfectly formed menu. We started with a spring salad, followed by a pork loin Wellington (which was outstanding). DI finished the meal with fresh fruit, while I had a selection of cheeses. It was a good meal, and portioned in such a way as to satisfy without leaving you feeling bloated.

After dinner, Di and I went for a stroll along the riverbank. It was dusk, but there was still some residual warmth in the air. It was very pleasant as we started towards the cable car, which carries visitors across the river and up to the fortress above the far bank. After our constitutional, we returned to the boat and joined Jane and Trevor in the Library for a while before we all retired for the night. It had been a long day, but it was a good day.

Packing

 With Jasper away at his Spa, there was no worry about interruptions to our night's sleep. The alarm was switched off, and a lie-in was on the cards. Well, it was until I woke up to check the plumbing at 03:45 and failed to go back to sleep on my return to bed. In the end, soon after 05:00, I was up and nursing a coffee in the kitchen. I used the time to tinker with my presentation for the Inspiration Day, and to have a long chat with Gemini-AI regarding the implementation of AI in enterprises and the impact on my old career. It was very interesting, and I felt that the time had been well spent.

Di wandered down before seven, and wrapped herself around a cup of tea while I headed for the shower. I had my usual call with the cousins a bit later. It seems that Tim is also off travelling this weekend. He's heading for Calahonda. I do hope he enjoys it. I wasn't blown away by the village, but I did like the area and the various places we visited when there.

With the call finished, I set about packing. I have deliberately packed lighter than last year, as I have realised that the nature of river cruises allows a more casual approach. With the packing complete, I went to Zoe's. Di was already there, helping out by washing the floor downstairs. I took the vacuum cleaner and went through the bedrooms, bathrooms, landing, and stairs.

Back home, Di started on the final selection for her packing. I spent the time sorting out the cables and chargers that we would need and completing the last of the paperwork. We managed a bit of Kindle time during the afternoon. 

It will be an early start in the morning, but I think we are well-prepared.

Insurance

The day started early. I was wide awake by six and got up at six-fifteen. Other than the start time, the rest of the early morning followed the usual pattern, and by eight-fifteen we were walking to Zoe's to collect Ellie for school. We dropped her off at the classroom door, and Di went home, while I went off for my usual walk.

Once home from my walk, I grabbed some breakfast, then returned to the presentation I have been working on. I had several ideas during the walk that needed to be included in the slides. As I filed these amendments away, it was time to grab Jasper and take him for his Spa Break with Mark at the Cattery. Jasper is getting old, so grabbing him isn't the problem it used to be. He was soon in his carrier and had started the usual yowling that accompanies any road trip with our feline friend. We deposited him with Mark and made our way home.

After some lunch, I started looking for car insurance. The bundle of insurance products that I have used for so long no longer works. NatWest is extracting itself from the motor insurance marketplace. This forced me to look at alternatives. There was a wide variation in price and also in the feedback for various companies. In the end, I chose one of the products from the AA. It was a bit more expensive than my current insurance, but it seemed like a good product and had a 5-star rating.

We managed some Kindle time before having to collect Ellie. She was a bundle of energy as she finished her dance class. We took her home and, while there, helped out by changing the bedding on her bed and Zoe's.

Ellie is with Pete for the weekend.

Playing Away

The day started in the time-honoured fashion, and we enjoyed the early morning sunshine as we walked to Zoe's to collect Ellie for school. Having dropped her at the classroom door, Di headed home and set off for my walk. I had timed it pretty well, and my audiobook came to an end as I was turning into the Crescent on the way home.

Being Thursday, we headed to Sainsbury's for a sparse shop. As we will be away, we didn't need too much and were in and out very quickly.

The nice couple who visited yesterday phoned. They cannot fit us in before we leave, but they asked if they could complete the job next week while we are away. They will then return to check we are happy with the work when we get home. We agreed and have every confidence that the job will be done properly.

After some admin and some lunch, we settled with our Kindles until it was time to collect Ellie. She burst out of the classroom with a note inviting her to be in the Athletics team. We acted amazed and surprised and congratulated her. It does mean that her Monday afternoon appointment will have to be changed, but Zoe was already on top of this.

We headed home, where Di started to prepare Jasper's "stuff" ready for his Spa Break. I settled back with my Kindergarten until it was time to prepare dinner.

A quiet evening is planned.

Nice People

We were up and about at our usual time. It was a bright start and promised a warm day.  We walked to Zoe's to collect Ellie for school. Apparently, she had been up and about since about five. We dropped her off at the classroom door, then both went home. There was no early walk today.

At 09:00, the doorbell rang. It was the couple who had come to assess what we need doing to the irrigation system. (How nice that they did phone me back, how nice that they made an appointment, and how nice that they turned up on time). They were charming and listened carefully as I described the problem and what I felt would be needed. They listened, made some suggestions, checked on some items, and then promised to call us back within 24 hours. We wait with bated breath. They came across as very nice people.

Once they had gone, Di headed off to Pilates, and I set off for my walk. When I arrived home, I had an email waiting. This confirmed that my old school wanted me to present to the sixth form on their "Inspiration Day" next month. They wanted a short biography, a photo, and several other items of information. I sat down and crafted a bio, which I then pumped through AI to get some ideas to make it more punchy. Then, realising it was too long, I asked for a summary in a couple of paragraphs. This worked really well, and with a few tweaks, I soon provided my response. My next task will be to create a presentation... which is needed in just over a week!

I received a call from SAGA. There has been a change to the excursions during our river cruise. I was given a chance to reselect, which I did after discussing it with Di.

After lunch, we had some Kindle time before I went to the study to begin my presentation. I have crafted the outline, and now I must select the key points that may inspire the students. At the moment, I am finding it a bit of a challenge, being significantly out of practise.

We collected Ellie from her after school football game and took her home before returning home ourselves. We also heard, on the quiet, that though there are Athletics trials at school tomorrow, Ellie has been pre-selected based on her previous performance.

Counting down

 Jasper decided to start a football chant soon after six this morning. That was it. I was awake. I tried to stay put, but by 6:15 I decided coffee was necessary.

We both walked to Zoe's to collect Ellie and take her to school. It was very bright, though there was high cloud. There was also a bitter wind, and 8 °C felt more like 3 °C. After we left Ellie, Di went straight home, and I set off for my walk. The cold wind encouraged me to walk faster to generate some warmth. I knocked about 30 seconds off each kilometre.

Back home, I grabbed some breakfast and another coffee before heading into the garden to use the leaf-blower (in reverse) to vacuum up the fallen leaves while they were dry and crispy. It didn't take long, but it did half fill the garden bin.

Next on the agenda was to return a parcel at the Post Office for Diane and pick up her latest batch of medicines from the Chemist. While I was in the village, I took the opportunity to get my hair cut (it's always an item on my checklist before a holiday). Meanwhile, Di was wading through her pre-trip ironing.

The early afternoon was spent doing some paperwork (though, strictly speaking, it was all digital). We managed some Kindle time before going to collect Ellie from school. We deposited her at home with Zoe and headed home to finish the paperwork and ironing before dinner.

Dripping

 It was an early start. Not because it was necessary, but because I was wide awake by 6:00 and got up 15 minutes later when Jasper started to get vocal. The weather looked wonderful again, though there was still a chill in the air.

We walked around to Zoe's and escorted Ellie to school. I then set off on my morning walk. This was made a little more interesting by watching a neighbour reverse his car into a car outside his neighbour's house. No damage was done, and they were all chatting when I circled back around.

Back home, with breakfast finished,  we loaded the car with a collection of books and toys and took them to the local charity shop. They took most of what was on offer, but there were several items they couldn't accommodate and will have to be disposed of separately. I stopped off at the irrigation company to buy a hole punch for the drip bayonets. Once home, I fitted 4 more drippers to the existing hose to water Di's newest plants.

City Irrigation recommended a local company that may be able to help me replace the drip hose. I called them and was pleased when they called back within about 30 minutes. I explained our dilemma, and they said they would check their diary and call to arrange a visit. They did! I will report further after their assessment on Wednesday.

We managed about an hour of Kindle time after lunch and then went to collect Ellie. We took her to her usual Monday appointment in Chichester. While waiting for her, I managed to complete another book.

We've just finished dinner (salmon and prawn linguine with white wine and cream sauce), and now expect a quiet evening.

Taxi!

 It was another glorious Spring day. The flotilla of clouds that had scudded across the horizon yesterday evening had disappeared. Now the perfect blue was only interrupted by a few ruler-straight contrails as aircraft flew to, or returned from, their exotic destinations.

After breakfast, but before my second coffee, I set off for my walk. A new audiobook kept me company as I marched around my usual circuits. It was a perfect morning for walking. Bright and sunny, but just cool enough to remain really comfortable.  As I started on my final stretch, a message pinged in my ears, "Grandpa, will you take me and Poppy swimming, if Poppy's mum says it's ok?" Well, that hadn't been on the plan, but then again, there hadn't been a plan.

I returned home and checked whether Di had anything she wanted me to do, but there was nothing specific. She had planned to spend some time cleaning up Ellie's old toys so that we could take them to the Charity Shop tomorrow. I responded to Ellie and waited for her to turn up with Poppy. I drove them across to LA and settled down with my Kindle while they headed for the pool. I left them to it for an hour or so and then signalled for them to get changed. Needless to say, I found myself having to fund a lap full of snacks for them to eat on the way home. I left them at Zoe's and went on home.

The girls, with Jaxson in tow, wandered back to see Nana a few times through the afternoon.

Three to become One

 It may be Saturday, but I was up early anyway. I guess it's a consequence of age! DI pottered downstairs about an hour later, but it was still much earlier than needed.

I had my usual call with the cousins. Helen was struggling after an eye operation, Sam was still getting over her cold, and Sarah was looking after a puppy that had chewed through her carpet. It was the usual varied discussion covering every subject under the sun.

Much of the rest of the morning was spent looking into how we could best rationalise Ellie's three accounts into one and sort out her burgeoning requirement for photo storage. It took a while to work out the correct sequence, but I am pretty sure I have got a workable plan (which includes testing to make sure she doesn't lose anything).

After lunch, Di went to potter in the garden. I had tried to add some driplines to the irrigation system, but couldn't push the bayonets through the hose. I went to the store around the corner, but they were closed. It will have to wait until tomorrow or Monday.

I finished another book during Kindle time, and downloaded several more so that we have plenty on the virtual bookshelf before we head off on the river cruise. Dinner tonight was salmon with salad for Di, while I had a chicken vindaloo using the East at Home sauce. It was exceptional, and I will certainly order it again.

Zoe and her friend Poppy made contact. They wanted me to escort them to the corner shop so that they could get some snacks for tonight (I assume they have a sleepover planned). I wandered long to the shop with them to make sure they crossed the roads safely.

Links

I was up and about soon after six. There was a bright start to the day, and with a coffee inside me, I was ready for anything.  Di was up well before seven, and we had a leisurely hour or so before going to collect Ellie for the school run.

Leaving Ellie at school, Di headed home to get ready for her Cardiac Rehab session, while I headed out on my walk. I was on the second loop of my usual route when Di drove past on her way to the community centre. I continued with my route and finished my audiobook. With another loop to go, I switched to BBC Sounds and listened to "I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue" and laughed like a maniac for the last 30 minutes of the walk.

After breakfast, I headed for my study. I had to reformat a micro SD card for the home security system. The old one had developed a fault, so I binned it. While I was finishing that, Zoe called. She was trying to sort out Ellie's phone, which was running out of space. Ellie had asked for a couple of additional apps, but there was insufficient space to install them. This started a long-running discussion involving Apple and us. In the end, we managed to get everything working, but it has highlighted some more consolidation that we should consider.

After lunch, I spent some time trying to add a link to Di's watch strap and remove two links from her Med-alert bracelet. The watch strap was simple, but the Med-alert bracelet was an absolute nightmare. I did succeed in the end, but I hope I don't have to fiddle with it again!

After some Kindle time, we went to collect Ellie from school and take her home.

If it's Thursday...

 There was a cult film back in the 70s called "On Any Sunday".  In our case, it's "On Any Thursday", and in our case, it doesn't feature motorbikes; it focuses on shopping trolleys. 

We were up at our usual time and walked to Zoe's to accompany Ellie to school. Diane then headed home, while I set out on my morning walk. Lottie was already starting her blitz of the house by the time I returned home for breakfast. Once I had tidied away the breakfast things, I finished the shopping list, and we headed to Sainsbury's.

There seemed to be a new, younger breed of Zombies there today. These were an entitled breed who blocked the aisles and wandered off without their trolleys to collect things. Though the store wasn't busy, it was congested, and the thought of fitting curved blades to the trolley wheels seemed alluring.

We dropped a few items off for Zoe and became embroiled in a call with Apple. Zoe was trying to install some additional apps on Ellie's phone. She had, however, locked it down and was having trouble unlocking the ability to install new apps. I eventually cracked the problem, so now Ellie can do her Maths practise on her phone.

We had a quiet hour or so with our Kindles after lunch, then set off to collect Ellie and take her home. Zoe's friend Tammy and son Brodie are visiting this afternoon, so we left them to it.

Drizzle

We were up at the usual time so that we could be ready to collect Ellie and take her to school. There was a fine drizzle as we set off, and it didn't ease until well into my walk. Even then, it restarted before I completed my normal route.

By the time I arrived back home, Diane had already left for Pilates. I settled down for breakfast and a quick pass through social media. The rest of the morning was spent with domestic tasks, including planning for next week's menus and the shopping list for tomorrow.

By the end of the morning, the rain had stopped, and it was bright and sunny. The Orangery was lovely and warm, and we both sat out there with our Kindles. We collected Ellie after her football session (it had started drizzling again by then) and took her home, then returned home ourselves. Diane phoned Denise for a chat, and I prepared dinner.

The new regime for bin collections starts in the morning. We have been checking that we have all the right items in the correct bins. Goodness knows if we have got it right! It is fair to say that this new regime is not universally popular:

ANYONE ELSE HAD ENOUGH OF THESE ****** BINS OR IS IT JUST ME??? Because honestly, I’m at the point now where I’m questioning my entire existence over household waste. Years ago life was SIMPLE, you had one black bin, you put your **** in it, it got collected, DONE. Then some council genius clearly had a breakdown over landfill and decided what we all needed in our lives was MORE BINS. Not one, not two, but a full ****ing rainbow of responsibility sat outside your house like some sort of plastic shrine to poor life choices. Recycling bins, garden bins, cardboard bins, and probably a bin soon for your thoughts and feelings, because apparently, nothing can just go in one place anymore. And God forbid you put the wrong thing in the wrong bin because suddenly you’re basically a criminal and facing a fine like you’ve robbed a bank instead of misplacing a yoghurt pot.

Anyway, I accepted it, I adapted, I became one of those people who stood in the kitchen like a lunatic separating rubbish into categories like I’m running some sort of domestic recycling facility, and just when I thought I’d reached peak bin life… NOW they’ve introduced a FOOD WASTE BIN. Not just a bin either, oh no, a MOTHER BIN with a BABY BIN inside it. I’m sorry, but what in the actual **** is that about??? So now I’ve got this tiny baby bin in my kitchen that fills up every 2 minutes because, shock horror, a family of 5 eats food, then I’ve got to take the bag outside to the mother bin like I’m completing some sort of Olympic bin relay that nobody asked for. And I’m sat here thinking… WHAT THE **** IS EVEN GOING IN MY NORMAL BIN NOW??? Because apparently food goes in one, cardboard in another, recycling somewhere else, garden waste somewhere else, so what’s left??? AIR??? MY SANITY??? THE LAST THREAD OF MY PATIENCE???

And can we just address the fact that I am essentially now providing FREE STORAGE for the council on MY OWN LAND. These ugly bastards are sat on my garden where I could have had a lovely border, some flowers, a bit of peace, but no, I’ve got a ****ing bin exhibition going on outside my house. I should be charging them rent at this point, and if they fine me for not complying, I’ll happily deduct it from the YEARS of unpaid storage fees they owe me because I never signed up to house this plastic army.

And these new bins?? Built like absolute ****. A light breeze and they’re off. Storm Dave comes through, and they’ll be halfway down the M1. We’re going to need EMA air traffic control just to manage rogue bins flying through the neighbourhood. Honestly, a gust of a fart would send one of these airborne, and some poor bugger’s going to be taken out on a morning dog walk because a food waste bin’s decided to go on a journey. Health and safety haven’t even begun to unpack that.

I’m telling you now I am DONE. I am 40+, menopausal, and I no longer have the capacity to deal with this level of absolute nonsense in my life. When that bin turns up at my house, it is going STRAIGHT BACK via the arsehole of whoever delivers it with immediate effect. Enough is enough. The government can push people so far, and this, THIS is my limit. Anyone else, or am I about to go to war with the council on my own???

With acknowledgements to the original author on: Long Eaton:Spotted, on Facebook.