Yesterday we went on an amazing boat tour of the Rhein River. The tour took us down the river, passing beautiful vineyards precariously growing on the sides of the 'mountains' lining the river. Every so often a beautiful castle (many from hundreds of years ago) would pass and everyone would get up and take pictures of it. The best part of the tour, however, was the weather. We had the best weather one could hope for. We sat out on the deck beneath a nice canopy, feeling the cool breeze, and enjoying the breathtaking scenery. After a fabulous meal, homecooked and warm, we took a hike up the mountain to a 700 year old castle. At the end of the tour of the castle, we took a treck down the mountain and went straight to a wine tasting. I loved the sophistication of having participated in a wine tasting. I cannot say that I liked all of the wines that we tasted, but I did enjoy number four, and bought one bottle for some future sampling. Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your point of view, my small frame left me vunlerable to the effects of the alcohol I consumed in those five glasses of wine. Needless to say, I enjoyed myself thoroughly and had a quite pleasant train ride home. All in all the day was fantastic, and I can't wait to see the baby animals at the zoo today!