The Rhine is very quiet

It is very calming but a little strange. Even when you stand right by it, and there are big cargo barges passing by, you hear virtually nothing.

You have to walk right up to the water's edge to hear the river lapping at the outer banks.

On Saturday I rode my bike through Rheinaue - the park that runs along the Rhine from Bad Godesberg to nearby Beule. It is hands-down, without a doubt the most beautiful park I have ever been in. It is huge and filled with outdoor sculptures and descriptions of Germany's post World War II history (the "Path of Democracy.")

In Bonn it typically rains (or at least sprinkles) a little bit every day. While this is irritating when you are trying to ride your bike to work, it keeps the vegitation looking great. The grass and flowers in Rheinaue were practically glowing:

This splash of color is especially welcome because, with all the rain, the sky in Bonn is typically a darkish grey. When I took my parents to the Rhine the other week, it was raining. But then just before we got to the river, it stopped, and there was a full-sky, double rainbow, which I could not capture entirely in one picture: