A quick visit to Germany

Overlooking Bonn and the Rhein River - lovely vistas

Not many would travel 28 hrs for a week and then fly 28 hrs back again, but for the right people you don't think twice.  My wife and I did just that to link up with 9 other families for a War College mini-reunion.  A brilliant time was had by all and while the fantastic meats, cheeses and endless rivers of beer didn't do my waistline any good it made the world of difference to my morale.

While there we did a few interesting side trips:

Drachenfels Castle, overlooking the Rhein River outside Bonn

Franco Prussian War Monument at Drachenfels

Kaiser Wilhelm I, King of Prussia 1876.

German Artillery dated 1658 (at a different castle)

German Eagle detail on the barrel

The beautifully scenic Berg Eltz dates back from the 13th century

View down onto the outer defences which guard the river ford.  Note the pile of cannon balls stored in the courtyard

Armoury

The magnificent Cologne Cathedral took 60 years to build and was one of the only structures to survive WW2

..and was the scene of a Sherman v Panther v Pershing tank duel on 6 March 1945 (read more here)

Me at the spot where the Panther was knocked out

Roman Gateway dating back to 50AD at the founding of the city as the colony of Aggripinensium.

The gate overshadowed by the Cathedral: fantastic history

"Well obviously the roads - they go without saying don't they!"

Sadly, there was no time to hook up with Stefan in (relatively) nearby Dusseldorf.  Sorry mate, but thanks for the tip on the Alt Bier!  Yes I enjoyed it - but was there any doubt? :-)

When in doubt - go native!