After lunch the Ramblers headed out again along the Moselle to the German Corner and then along the Rhine until we came to the entrance to the Seilbahn or cable car. Today we had a good bit of free time to wander the city on our own. probably because it was easy to get around. I’m not really fond or heights or of climbing into a moving cable car but after we bought our tickets (8.9 Euros) we had to wait in a fairly short line until it was our turn to climb aboard.
The cars are fairly large and perhaps a dozen people climbed aboard each one while it moved through the loading area. I later found out that each car was built to hold a maximum of 35 adults, but we were glad that this was not the case today. Photography would have been almost impossible and boarding would have been tricky during the brief time available.
If some of the folks at the head of each group board slowly, those who follow are forced to scramble aboard. There was an attendant and I imagine he could have held back the car if a person hadn’t quite gotten aboard. The Ramblers are not as quick as we used to be but the klutzy Rambler (me) had time to study the procedure so all went smoothly. Before long we were heading upwards in our ride over the Rhine. Incidentally the cable car glides along at a speed of about a yard a second in a continuous loop.
We were surprised to find out that the Seilbahn had been built in 2010, not so long ago, to accommodate visitors to the massive Bundesgartenschau, a huge national floral and architectural exhibition held every two years in cities around Germany. In 2011, it was Koblenz’ turn to host the show and the Seilbahn was built to ferry the huge crowds quickly across the Rhine to the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress which held some of the exhibits. Although the flower show is long gone, the cable car is still very popular. The ride alone is worth the fare, as the view over the Rhine and Moselle is amazing. I totally forgot my fear of heights in my enjoyment of the view. Yet I was glad we hadn’t landed in car #17 which has a glass floor.
The 9.9 Euro fare is for a round trip, but we had to get out at the fortress side which meant scampering out, and then had to get in again for the return trip. Oh well, it was worth it. To the Ramblers, the fortress was something of a disappointment even though it is a UNESCO site. It was huge, no doubt, but there was not much to see on exterior.The best view, although a fleeting one, was from the cable car. Plus, although there had been a fortress on this spot since Roman times because of its location, the current structure was built in the 19th century by Prussia to replace one destroyed by the French in 1801.
We noted that there was a sidewalk which ran along side leading to a parking lot at the far end so it is possible to view the fortress without riding the cable car. All the exhibits are on the inside and we had not bought a combination ticket which included admission. No matter, we strolled around for a while, and were not tempted to go inside because it was such a beautiful day to be outside. So back to the cable car and another exciting view and then we walked along the Rhine before heading back to the River Queen.
We hoped to locate the small hotel we had stayed at before we took our first Rhine cruise twenty years ago. Could we recognize it? For this, I relied on the senior Rambler as he has a great visual memory, having worked as a graphic artist for many years. He did not fail us as we are pretty sure that our little hotel restaurant is still going strong. He also has a great memory for meals that he enjoyed and still talks about the second-best sauerbraten he had eaten in their restaurant. I, of course, make the best version of the dish. LOL
Unlike some places we have visited, it is almost impossible to get lost in Koblenz, as there is no thick wall of tall buildings lining the river. There are hotels of course, because this is a popular base for holidays but none of the buildings is very tall. Since the river bank rises as one walks inland, it is easy to see the second and third row of buildings not to mention the towers of St. Castors.
It did look like a fun place to stay for a few days with many wine villages and quaint villages in the nearby Rhineland Countryside. Not to mention that Koblenz is noted for its excellent shopping. Evidently many tourists come here mainly to shop! We arrived back at our ship in plenty of time for the all aboard call, and the River Queen then set sail for Alken at 7:00 PM. We chose a table with a river view so we could watch the scenery along the Moselle as we enjoyed our dinner.