Germany totally and completely intrigued me. My history is a little rusty, so I want to study up a bit before I return, but I am going back. We only saw cities on the northern edge of the country since we were on the river, but they were full of exciting things to see and discover. After touring Mannheim and Heidelberg, we cruised a short distance during the daylight hours to see the scenery and hundreds of castles lining this area of the Rhine and Neckar Rivers. These castles and most of the city of Heidelberg were spared from Allied bombing during World War II, and it is unclear why. There was an agreement that no bombing would affect castles, cathedrals, or synagogues. They were supposed to focus on military targets, roads and bridges. It is surprising to me that during wartime, rules like these were observed. Somewhat -- there were exceptions.
We were told that a beautiful day like this without fog and clouds is virtually unheard of in December. It made the viewing of the castles fabulous, and we have dozens of pictures. 
Another thing we saw miles and miles of, were vineyards. They were on the steepest of hills and mountains. You can see them here. Apparently, the soil is perfect, and the moisture falls just right.
About the time the sun fell, (4:30 PM, usually), we docked in Rudesheim. A smaller village, still in Germany, and spent a lovely evening wandering the cozy streets, and eating the local fare at the food-heavy Christmas market there.
Oh! Some delicious snack that is like a blob of mashed potatoes and onions, then deep fried? Not me. I tried a bite. Probably not too healthy.
Mushrooms, skillet fried.
Mike said they were great. Not my thing.
I'm not a very adventurous eater.
It was kind of like a big carnival of food. Not sure where it came from. Not sure what it is.
I had a lot of questions.
Not Mr. Iron Stomach. He tried it all. He is still alive to tell about it.
No kidding, he made a complete meal out of the local market. Complete with dessert.
And I have never met a crepe I didn't like. I wasn't a complete Scrooge.
Nor have I met a warm drink that I didn't like. Except coffee.
Cheers!
