Enjoying the Mosel River area

I'm fed up, and out of here...

The Germans love their food, and this became obvious at our first hotel breakfast (provided with the room rate). Full range from cereal, several varieties of bread, meats, cheese, eggs, cake etc etc. Needless to say we tried our best :)

Left Saarburg and headed to Trier through reasonably flat cereal country. For the next 4 or 5 days we are going to hit some of the same country we travelled through 31 years ago… but can’t remember much so it all seems like new! (probably like a gold fish swimming in a bowl?)

A river full of history... and wine... don't forget the wine

Trier is very touristy, with noticeably quite a few US tourists around. It was also Saturday so a lot of locals in town for the shopping. But we were reasonably early so got a park for the car in a central city building.

Trier is in the Mosel wine region and is located on the banks of the Mosel river. It may be the oldest city in Germany, founded by the Celts in the late 4^th century BC then conquered by the Romans in the 1^st century BC. One of it's other claims to fame is being the birthplace of Karl Marx.

In the 4^th century AD, Trier was one of the largest cities of the Roman empire, with a population of around 75,200 (today’s population is around 110,000). From Roman to German, to France, to the Kingdom of Prussia and then back to German ownership over the years. Trier still has well preserved town gates, roman baths, an amphitheatre etc from the Roman Times as well as later churches and palaces.

Trier was heavily bombed in 1944. It officially celebrated it’s 2000^th anniversary in 1994 and has several UNESCO world heritage sites. We walked through the town, which was very busy, and via some cathedrals up to the Roman sites. 

Remains of Roman Gates and town wall 

Locals, and tourists, gearing up for the Saturday market.... yummy strawberries found! 

View of Trier city from nearby hill we climbed... after a bit of assertive discussion with car's GPS to get us to bottom.

After purchasing some strawberries at the market we left and drove along the Mosel River with vineyards overlooking the winding road. The vineyards are amazingly steep, disappearing from road level up the hills. Although we saw tractors towing spray tanks, it was obvious nothing could drive among most of the vines, and we found out that any spraying etc is done by dragging hoses, and/or necessary equipment, up the hills by hand. Alternatively many had little mono-rails winding up, with motorised carts which could be moved from one rail to the next as required.

Stopped at Bernkastel-Kues, another very old and picturesque town. Again the Romans were here first. A very touristy, but pretty, town which is a main stop for tourist boat cruises. Our first sight of these large (as in long) floating hotels with a number moored for the passengers to walk the town.

We walked up to the Bernkastel Castle, in 1291 Bernkastel was given town rights and the Castle (burg) landshut was built. It subsequently burnt in 1692 and has never been rebuilt. However it does have a café, gift shop and flush toilets now which are possibly not original!

Arrived at our AirBnB located in Traben-Trabach, a lovely smallish town split by the Mosel river and surrounded by vineyards (of course!). Once it was 2 separate towns but amalgamated in 1969. It has been documented as early as 830 AD, and was seized by France in 1683. A fortress overlooking the town was constructed by Vauban, the leading French military engineer of the time. It was mostly demolished (by the French) when the French withdrew in 1697  and it then became German rule again.

Our arrival coincided with a literal cacophony of church bells, the sound was almost overwhelming and we did wonder what was going on and if it was to signify our arrival! Our hosts were lovely, as was the downstairs apartment of their house, and they immediately explained that at 6 pm every Saturday the two (now joined) towns have a competition to see whose church bells are loudest!!, and this happened to coincide with our arrival.

They also told us that Germany was having a long weekend thus most business would be shut including the Monday, apart from restaurants and tourist services. That explains why it had been hard to find accommodation when we were trying to book a few days prior.

Our host is a wine export agent, but also owns a small family vineyard. Patrick kindly offered us a tour of their family production the next morning. They have 4 hectares of very steep land and produce 7 types of wine…. Intensive and complicated!!! The land and winery has been in the family ownership for centuries.... sort of puts Gibbston Valley in perspective! The wines of the area are mostly whites: Rieslings, some desert and a little Rose, but very nice!

 The range of wines produced by the family.... and no, we didn't, it was 10 am in the morning! (but we did sample their very nice sparkling (slightly) wine during our stay)

After our personal wine tour we headed for the pre booked bike rental, this was very lucky Noel had done so as the queue for bikes was large and most bikes gone. With bikes, and carrying lots of water, we spent a very pleasant day (20-25 C) biking down the Mosel River cycle paths to Zell and back.

Lunching on the way, a 40 km ride in total. A lovely way to see the countryside, with bike paths on both sides of the river tar-sealed/paved all the way. The tracks go for 280 km +, so maybe another time?

 Just one of many of the freight barges plying the river, complete with full housing and 2 cars on board (lifted off by inbuilt crane) for when they moor.

 Bikes, vineyards, trains, boats... all on or beside the fantastic riverside trail

No, not both for Noel.... Caro has discovered Radler....

With the holiday weekend there were lots and lots of people: biking and walking, also rowing and tour boating on the river, lots of campers parked along the river banks and lots and lots of motorbikes and flash convertible cars cruising the winding river road.

A fantastic day!

Language wise we have slipped easily into aspects of German, such as "zwei bier bitte" which now roles off the tongue easily! (must have come flooding back from our visit to the Munich Bier Fest 31 years ago).

Meals are mainly meat.... or meat. The staple seems to be wiener schnitzel, and you order with different combinations, mainly revolving around the meat, or the meat! For example, one night Noel had schnitzel with cranberry sauce, the next night schnitzel (crumbed) but with a potato mix whilst Caro had cream sauce over... you guessed it, schnitzel!. We are deliberately hunting out salads occasionally as it is all a bit much ... meat!

Bread is also a big item, and a variety always available and seemingly a bakery in every town/street corner.

Hey mum, are fairy tales real?

Left Traben-Trabach and followed Mosel for a while longer, some stunning towns and castles along the river such as Treis-Karden.

We found and walked to the medieval, still complete, castle of Burg Eltz. The castle is still owned by a branch of the family that lived there in the 12^th century… 33 generations ago!

The castle towers are up to 8 stories high, 30-40 metres. It was crazy busy, assuming the public holiday Monday effect still but there was lots of different languages/accents in the crowd. So although we did not do a tour we wandered around the parts that were open, once again ye olde café and flush toilets are present.

We had visited here 31 years ago, not nearly as busy… and don’t recall any cafes although we were the classic tight budget backpackers in those days and were obviously more focused on our 2 minute noodles than buying coffees.

Carried on to Koblenz through farmland, wheat country mainly. Koblenz is another stunning town, located on the confluence of the Mosel and Rhine rivers. 

Another UNESCO listed 2000 year old city. It has the Ehrenbreitstein Fortress, originally built on the site in the 11^th century it is located across the Rhine and now accessed by aerial gondola or bridge. It was blown up by the French when they lost control around 1801 and subsequently rebuilt around 1820’s by the Prussians.

Koblenz is a university town and has church’s, an electoral palace and a very big statue of Kaiser Willhelm I, who was the king of Prussia and the German Empire. Koblenz was heavily bombed in WWII but most parts have been rebuilt.

On the day we were there, as it was that public holiday Monday, a Bier (beer) Festival was in full swing in the park area at the confluence of the 2 rivers. Very popular occasion but unfortunately we couldn’t partake in the beer as Noel still had to drive, and Caro is a sympathetic companion, to our hotel on the banks of the Fulda River just north of the city of Kassel.

The hotel seemed like it was in the middle of nowhere, but is located on a river bike path as most of the clientele were pedaller's (of bikes, not illicit products). A party barge, which really didn’t look too ‘sea-worthy’ was puttering back and forth along the river with the occupants obviously having a grand old time.

It rained that night and was still drizzling the next morning. Headed off following the river for a while, and possibly passing a speed camera by the sudden flash (the towns have few speed signs, it is a bit hit and miss if you are within limit or not, we will find out we guess!). Heading away from grapes and through forest and farmland: wheat, barley, oil seed rape, maize and fodder beet.

Stopped at Hann Munden, a lovely town on the confluence of the Fulda and Werra Rivers. With half timbered houses that are over 700 years old, the ruins of an 16^th century castle, the remains of 12^th century town walls, a town tower from 1885 and some big old church’s. Definitely gave the impression we might not have been the first visitors ever. Obviously still on the river side bike paths, lots of cyclists just leaving town after their nights accommodation. The town is meant to be very touristy, although we must have been ahead of the crowds as it was pretty quiet.

Carried on to Gottingen, a large university town with the Uni first founded in 1734. Lovely old buildings and church’s but we just lunched and left. 

Drove to Goslar (we worked out we had already visited here 31 years ago) winding our way through forestry and a National Park in the Harz mountains, a lovely drive.

Another UNESCO heritage medieval town with half timbered houses, some town walls and gate, an imperial palace and, yes you guessed it, big church’s. The town was originally based on copper and silver mines that are over 1000 years old but closed in 1998. A WWII Luftwaffe airbase near the town, and several war supplier companies, had been close by along with 2 ‘sub camp’ concentration camps however the old town escaped any bomb damage.

Then it was onto Wolfsburg, and our camp ground ‘mini hotel/barrel cabin’ for 2 nights. A huge thunderstorm overhead after our arrival was impressive.

A first!... a "barrel cabin' at Wolfsburg campground. Quite comfortable, although it did have a slight leak in the night but it was an extreme thunderstorm!