Exactly 4 weeks ago I was in Koblenz. Because I did not see the most important thing I wanted to see then, I was determined to see it again. And therefore when Pan Yu asked me online if I was interested I jumped at the opportunity. The last time when I was in Koblenz I was there only for an hour and only managed to see parts of the Altstadt around Löhrstraße.
I won't usually take this kind of dumb photos myself; it was only upon her instigation.Festung Ehrenbreitstein (Fortress Ehrenbereitstein)
On the other side of the Rhine river, from the side of the Altstadt you could see the highly elevated Festung Ehrenbreitstein in the picture below. Actually the site of the Festung was originally used as a site to build a castle during the time 1000AD. But during the late 18th century, Koblenz was an area of tension between the French and Prussian (At that time there existed no Germany as a country yet) armies, and Koblenz came under the French conquest in the 1790s. However, when the French left the place in 1801, the castle was destroyed. Following the defeat of Napoleon, the Rhineland area became controlled by the Prussians. And as a result, because of past attacks by the French, the development of a strong military fortress was of utmost importance. As a result the Festung was improved.
Indeed it was a very tiring way up to climb to the Festung, although there were rides up, we actually walked the hard way, through tunnels and winding paths up the forest, before reaching the mightly Festung where it was so big that when we got in, we were almost lost since all the doors and walls looked about the same! 
However, it was worth the 2 hour walk and hike from the Hauptbahnhof without any form of transport at all the way up in order to get the view above. Now we begin to understand the importance of the Festung then and the direction where the Koblenz would most likely be attacked from. The view that we see above is of course at the side of the Altstadt where we started, as well as the Deutsches Eck (German corner). This is a very beautiful view where the Rhine river (on which the boat is riding on) joins the Mosel River. However more importantly is that the historical significance of the Deutsches Eck in the course of German's historical turmoil especially during the 20th century after WWII.Das deutsche Eck (The German corner)
After decending from the Festung we went straight to the Deutsches Eck. As you can see in the picture below, the German national flag is at the tip of the corner.
And from the corner, we face the statue of Kaiser Wilhelm I, the statesman (together with Bismarck), who was responsible for the rise of Prussia during the mid 19th century as well as the unification of Germany. The other flags are the flags of the other German Bundesländer (Federal States).Actually the statue of the Kaiser Wilheim I was a replica of the original one which was damaged during the WWII. It was however, reerrected only after 1990, after the final German reunification with the fall of the Berlin wall. During the period of West Germany, the Deutsches Eck was however a symbol of the West German politican (I cannot remember his name now) to show his desire and quest for a unified Germany. In fact it was also mentioned that with the fall of the Berlin wall, there are 3 parts of the wall which are installed at the statue. You could see the wall surround the statue, I am not sure if these are parts of the Berlin wall. But what was along the walls were all the 16 coat of arms of the Bundesländer.
Although the re-errection of the statue was thought of by some people that it would send out the wrong message, however the intention is very much different. Instead of sending signals of German aggressiveness, the Deutsches Eck can perhaps be, in my personal opinion from the two humble years of studying German history for 'A' Levels in JC, a symbol of understanding German history from a simple corner as well as acknowledging Wilheim I as being the "founder" of modern Germany. The period after 1871 when Germany was unified was never a period of aggression as compared to Wilheim I's successor: Wilheim II - The guy who ultimately broke all of Bismark's complicated web of diplomacy with the other European powers, which Bismarck tried hard to preserve after 1871.
The view of the Eck from the statue, how Kasier Wilhelm I would see it.The Mosel Valley
As I mentioned in the earlier blog post about Koblenz and Trier, the ride between these 2 cities were extremely beautiful because the train would travel along the route of the Mosel river as well as past the Mosel valleys. This is probably the most beautiful part of Rhineland, and the patches you see along the hills are acutally vineyards, from which grapes are harvested and wine produced. In fact, the Rhineland is the area where the bulk, and the best prestigious German wines are produced. And harvesting would take place around late September period where the wine festivals will be held in this region.
Also, along the Mosel route from Koblenz to Trier, most of the many stops in between such as Moselkern (where the hiking route to the mysterious Castle Eltz begins) as well as Cochem are quiet, non-touristic towns but very beautiful places which I would really want to visit but did have the time. I must cover these 2 places one day!
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