October 16, 2018 – Speyer and Rudesheim, Germany

October 16, 2018 – Strasbourg to Speyer to Rudesheim
Upon waking I put my bag out for them to transport to the next boat. At 9:30, we boarded the bus to go to Speyer, Germany. We got there at 11am and had a 1 hour tour around the city. The main feature of the city is the Cathedral which is the largest Romanesque church in Europe.
We were given 2 hours to wander around and get lunch. We had ach been given 20 euro for lunch. We found a hofbrau and had a great lunch. I had chicken with ham, mushrooms, and cheese melted on top with a potato pancake. I also ordered tunnel beer and pretzel. Yummy!
After lunch we looked in the Protestant church. The door was open but glass doors prevented entry further than the vestibule. After taking a picture, we proceeded down the main street to the Cathedral. By the time we were done walking around inside, it was time to leave.
We got on buses. We were divided into groups of 6 and 7 to go to a Home visit. We were dropped off and met George and his wife. They took us into their backyard where they had built a huge covered platform. They had a table set up for us and we had coffee and cake. They were very interesting. He is German and she is from Honduras. They have 4 children from 14 to 20. We discussed many topics including politics. The 90 minutes flashed by.
Back on the bus, we had a 2 hour drive to Rudesheim. On the way we crossed the Rhine and could see huge sand bars that woukd prevent boat traffic. We got there right at sunset. When we got off the bus we got on a mini-train to take us to,our boat. The boat is identical to the one we left so all we had to do is get the room key and WIFI password. After dropping off the carryon we all went to dinner.
Tomorrow is another busy day which will end with our arrival at a hotel i Luxembourg.