The next stop on our river journey was Bonn, a mid-sized city on the Rhine that had a half-century of glory as the capital of West, and later United Germany. Starting in 1998, though, most government functions were moved to Berlin and Bonn has since reverted to being the quiet little river city it had been before World War II. Bonn is an ancient city -- historical records date back to the first century BC and it had been long-established before then -- but little of its ancient past remains today. In the sixteenth through the eighteenth century, Bonn was the residence of the Archbishop of Cologne, who also was one of the seven electors of the Holy Roman Empire, and some impressive structures from that period are on display
This is a view across the Hofgarten [court garden] showing the Kurfürstliches Schloss -- The Prince/Elector's palace. Today it is the administration building for the University of Bonn. The city has lots of students.
Mistletoe on a tree bordering the Hofgarten.
A dead bicycle simply left to rust.
Looking back across the Hofgarten toward the art museum.
The Bonn Cathedral -- constructed during the High Middle Ages. It used to serve as the Cathedral church for the Bishop/Elector of Cologne. Before that a church stood on the site dedicated to the memory of Saints Cassius and Florentius.
These disembodied heads commemorate the saints, Roman legionaries who were martyred because they refused to fight against other Christians, or so we were told.
An interesting statue, representing a local folk legend, near the Dom.
A street leading off the main market square. We were there on a Sunday morning so everything was closed, but there was no reason not to take pictures.
A decoration adorning the fountain that stands at the center of the market square.
We then went to a high place where we had a nice view of the Rhine. Naturally, I took a picture of a barge loaded with scrap metal.
A ferry on the Rhine docked at an amusement park.
When we returned to our boat another one was tied up next to us. They were serving lunch.
This is a view across the Hofgarten [court garden] showing the Kurfürstliches Schloss -- The Prince/Elector's palace. Today it is the administration building for the University of Bonn. The city has lots of students.
Mistletoe on a tree bordering the Hofgarten.
A dead bicycle simply left to rust.
Looking back across the Hofgarten toward the art museum.
The Bonn Cathedral -- constructed during the High Middle Ages. It used to serve as the Cathedral church for the Bishop/Elector of Cologne. Before that a church stood on the site dedicated to the memory of Saints Cassius and Florentius.
These disembodied heads commemorate the saints, Roman legionaries who were martyred because they refused to fight against other Christians, or so we were told.
An interesting statue, representing a local folk legend, near the Dom.
A street leading off the main market square. We were there on a Sunday morning so everything was closed, but there was no reason not to take pictures.
A decoration adorning the fountain that stands at the center of the market square.
We then went to a high place where we had a nice view of the Rhine. Naturally, I took a picture of a barge loaded with scrap metal.
A ferry on the Rhine docked at an amusement park.
When we returned to our boat another one was tied up next to us. They were serving lunch.
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