My hotel sported a dedicated garage for the cyclists’ bikes:

I like it!

The Rhine continues to make its own statement

Mountains on either side, castles staking territorial domination, stories unspoken – so much to take in

Kaiser Wilhelm 1

In Koblenz, I paused to find out a bit more about Kaiser Wilhelm.

Originally founded by the Romans, Koblenz (pop 112,500) was the seat of the archbishop and prince elector of Trier from 1018 until 1794. Fought over and occupied by the French on a number of occasions, the city became part of Prussia after the Congress of Vienna in 1815. The city was heavily fortified, centring on Ehrenbreitstein citadel overlooking the city from the east bank of the Rhine.

The city’s most famous monument, a 14m-high equestrian statue of Kaiser Wilhelm I, was erected at Deutsches Eck in 1897. Destroyed by US artillery in 1945, the pieces were kept and eventually recast, finally being reinstated to celebrate German reunification in 1993.

There is just too much to say about the Kaiser, Prussia, reunification and more. But it prompts an interesting question – what monument might we propose to celebrate reunification in Ireland (or will I live to see it in my lifetime?)