We sailed overnight, and at 2:30 this morning the Monarch Queen berthed at the Dutch city of Nijmegen. This is the oldest city of the Netherlands and located in the East almost on the German border. I woke briefly when the ship berthed, the noise made by the engines and the thrusters causes the ship to vibrate slightly and sure enough we were coming alongside.
This area has been settled for millennia and was established as a Roman outpost over 2000 years ago. As we travel along there is a constant parade of huge ships carrying anything from sand, liquid fuel, liquid natural gas, to cars. This photo shows a huge car carrier heading from Holland to Germany.
This bridge across the Waal river in Nijmegen was a crucial supply route during WWII, and brutal fighting was required to take it from the occupying German forces. At 10:00 we joined a walking tour of Nijmegen which is a very historic city.
We sailed again at 1:30 and continued our journey reaching the Rhine River, and Germany by mid afternoon. Tonight we sail throughout the night docking at Cologne at about 5 am. We have all day to explore Cologne initially by guided tour and then by ourselves.
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