Cologne

Wuppertal Monorail

At last I've succeeded to take the Wuppertal Monorail (Schwebebahn)!

No rails on the ground, but above the trains!

Inside, the trains look like (almost) any metro car...

The most spectacular is not to hover above the river Wupper...

no - that's when the train leans on curves (guaranteed effect!)

Above the streets of Vohwinkel.

Sonnborner Straße Station

Traffic jam? No problem!

Arriving to Vohwinkel terminus.

This is a switch

The renovated Vohwinkel terminus

I'm not dreaming, this must be...

... the "Imperial" car (Kaiserwagen) built 1900!

In the other end of the line is...

... Oberbarmen Bahnhof terminus, which looks like to be in original condition!

But the nicest monorail station is by the Wuppertal main (railway) station.

Bonn

Who are those colourful characters on Bonn's cathedral square (Münsterplatz)?

Beethoven statues inspired by the monument that stands in front of the Post office.

Bonn City Hall (Altes Rathaus, to be compared to last year!) and a market where French products were on sale.

Beethoven's birthplace (Beethovenhaus)

Koblenz

In Koblenz, a cable car link has been set up across the Rhine for the Bundesgartenschau (Federal Flower Show) 2011.

No time to visit the Flower Show. Nor to see the Deutsches Eck (where the Moselle joins the Rhine) either.
From a stop next to the church of St. Castor, I take the bus to...

... the main station (which is not very central)...

... where a McDonald's serves as a waiting room.

No Rain during the Rhine Cruise

A short cruise on the Rhine between Rudesheim and Koblenz on board a KD river cruise ship.

Ehrenfels

Lorch
Buoying of the Rhine

Lorch
Train enthusiasts should click on the photo for a closer look at the locomotives!

Bacharach

In front of a small island downstream from Lorchhausen.

Pfalz
An island castle!

Kaub

Ship and trains downstream from Kaub.

Oberwesel

A sandbank...

Rocks...

"Ich weiß nicht, was soll es bedeuten..."

Passing the Loreley

"Loreley-city St Goarshausen"

Even the ferry between St Goar and St Goarshausen is called Loreley.

Rüdesheim

Rüdesheim am Rhein is a local wine capital...

... which is continuously crossed by trains.

But at such early hours (and whith such a dull weather), this place is not crowded with tourists !

Karlsruhe

Karlsruhe is often cited as an example for its tram-train system,
where vehicles run both in the street...

... and on mainline railways.

But what does a Saarbrücken tram-train do in Bretten, east of Karlsruhe?

A small detour to Durlach...

... by tram, of course!

A good old Duewag tram in Karlsruhe's city centre.

And now, a tour in the Albtal (Alb Valley)...

... by Albtalbahn's panoramic tram-train!

Marktplatz and its Pyramid.

Karlsruhe Castle, from which some of the main streets radiate.