Hi, Everyone!
Boy, have I had a couple of busy days! Yesterday, we started out in Mainz, Germany. I got to see St. Stephan’s church. The buildings are made of red sandstone, but the windows are blue stained glass designed by a famous artist, Marc Chagall. Then I went to the Gutenberg museum, to learn about the invention of printing with movable type, which happened right here in Mainz. Did you know that Gutenberg printed Bibles were sold as loose sheets, so that each buyer could add colored headings by hand and have the Bible bound to order?
After Mainz, we sailed to Ruedesheim for a visit. First, we went to a museum of mechanical musical instruments. I got to see a great big music box that plays Die Lorelei song from a metal disc. The guide also showed me a little music box that has a tiny bird that chirps and sings. From there, Grandma and Grandpa took me on a cable car ride up the mountain to see a big monument. I had a nice view of the Rhine river from both the cable car and the top. After we came back down, I got a chance to try driving a tourist train and the Amacello – but only because they were both parked at the time!
Remember I said the music box played the song Die Lorelei? That’s a very famous song about a dangerous place in the Rhine river, where rocks make the river narrow. Some people say there’s a pretty lady on top of the rocks who distracts sailors, and that’s why they run their boats into rocks. We were looking forward to cruising past that place later in the day. I wasn’t nervous because the MS Amacello has very strong engines and side thrusters to help with steering. But it was raining really hard when we passed Die Lorelei rocks, so I couldn’t see whether there was a lady on top or not.
Today, we cruised from the Rhine river into the Mosel river. We stopped at the town of Cochem and went all the way to the top of the hill where the local castle is. There has been a castle in this spot for about a thousand years, but the one there now was built in the 1800s. I met a wild boar in the hunting room. All the rivers around here have swans on them, just like Sodus Bay at home. These swans are a little bigger, and they hang around wherever the ship docks, hoping someone will feed them. We saw some right outside our cabin window, and the cabin crew arranged our fresh towels in the shape of two swans.
After lunch, we cruised on the Mosel river. There are lots of pretty small towns with castles and vineyards on either side of the river.
Tonight, Grandma and Grandpa let me stay up and go to the Captain’s dinner. We had to dress up in nice clothes to go. The waiters brought a special dessert – a cake and ice cream log that was decorated with sparklers. It was served with berry sauce and was really yummy.
So many people on this trip have asked about me that Grandma made me cards with my name and web address to hand out. It’s fun to have so many new friends!
Love,
Lion-san