Der Nordstern. [volume] (St. Cloud, Minn.) 1874-1931, 1922-12-21
Travelling In The Old
World Across The
Atlantic
By Rev. Joseph Kreuter, 0. 5. B.
(Continued)

\SOlAt1AINSNJ s
Coblenz! The city at the point of
junction of Mosel and Rhine. The old
town has many beauties, though its
military character looks out through
most of them and reminds us that
>Coblenz has been for ages a point OF
defense and watching. There is the
low, massive bridge of boats over the
wide, majestic flow of the river, the
karthaus on the cliffs where at pres
ent the American military hospital is
located; the great fortress of Ehren-
breitstein, the German Gibraltar, hangs
over the river and sets its teeth in the
face of the opposite shore; bordering
on Ehrenbreitstein is the lovely village
of Pfaffendorf with it's shining new
villas and old houses hanging on the
hills and rocks. It is a glorious sight,
the sunset over this scenery on the
Rhine near Coblenz, when the golden
rays of the parting globe once more
smile over the hilltops, dip the hang
ing villas in a deeply glowing red and
are reflected in hundreds of windows
as in so many huge mirrors, a piece
indeed of an enchanted garden. In
front of us cold Father Rhine" rolls
his blush waves northward carrying
a long row of boats, n of them a
steamer loaded with hundreds of men,
women and children, who are returning
from the famous shrine Of Bornhofen
near Bingen on the Rhine. Their songs
to the Virgin fill the evening air with
sweet tunes, resound between the high
rocks along the river and fan peace
and devotion into the hearts of the
silent listeners ashore.
In the Rhine Valley.
The sun had set when our fast train
crossed the Rhine river by the new
huge railroad bridge, truly a master
piece of construction work, worthy Of
the majestic flow it overspans. One in
voluntarily feels a certain respect for
this old classic stream, the Rhine, the
lion of rivers. We look down with a
sort of emotion upon the proud and.
noble stream, violent, but not fero-
cious, wild, but still majestic; it is
washing with it's yellow name yonder
bridge of boats, it's two banks lost in
the twilight, and though it's roaring
was audible, still there vas tranquil
ty." Over there loom up before our
eyes the familiar spires of Cologne
Cathedral, a most inspiring spectacle;
the evening lent to this structure a
still more imposing grandeur than it
already possessed, when seen by day.
Before us, in the fantastic twilight
sky, rose out Of the ocean Of houses al
enormous black mass, studded with
pinnacles and buttresses of great d.
mansions, overtowed by the two spires,
which make other famous European
Cathedrals, comparatively speaking,
small by it's side. We hurry out Of
the immense railway hall, press
through the dense crowds Of people in
the station and in the large open space
around the Cathedral and enter the
Temple. All was quiet. in n Of the
side aisles a tourist is standing look
ing up in awe and measuring with his
eye the vast expanse Of space about
and above him. It is overwhelming, the
interior Of the Cathedral, one is afraid
to break the prevailing silence in this
grandest structure of the sublime
Gothic style, beauty as it were petri-
fled. I will not attempt to describe
Cologne's great Cathedral any further;
for one must have seen, must have