Bernkastel-Kues (Tuesday 19th September 2017)

Even though we’d walked 15-20,000 steps a day in Berlin and Prague we’ve slackened off to around 7-10,000 a day since we picked up the car. So it was time for some serious exercise. After breakfast we crossed the river to Trarbach where there was a bicycle rental shop. The chap there was very helpful and attentive. He had a huge shed, cut into the hill behind his shop, full of bicycles of all sorts. He found one for Kerry that had the old-fashioned pedal brakes which suited her well, not being too confident on a bike. I had a conventional men’s bike. Both had easy to use gears, located on the hand-grip, wide and tall wheels, lights and a pack-rack. Apparently 90% of Germans own a bicycle. I’d believe that because they are everywhere, being ridden by people of all ages, sizes and shapes. There was a surprisingly large number of people more senior than us on the trail.

 

We headed off at 11:45 on our 24kms ride up the Mosel river to the town of Bernkastel-Kues. The bikes cost us just EUR 10.00 each for the whole of the day. There was no time limit as long as they were back by the next morning. The whole journey was along a dedicated cycle path that ran right next to the Mosel river. Along the way we passed through many small villages, in order – Wolf, Losrich, Erden, Kachtig, Zeltingen, Graach and Bernkastel-Kues. Fortunately, the path was flat all the way! The weather was coolish with broken cloud that the sun popped through every now and then. Nevertheless, after a few kilometres it was warm enough to take off the wind-cheater and ride in the polo shirt. Of course, being safety conscious Kerry kept her safety floppy hat on and I, my safety cap!

Caravaning is a very popular pastime in German. Even though the main holiday season is over there are still plenty of people camping by the river. Most people opt for the motor-home, less so for actual caravans with hardly any tents at all. The camping sites are more like public reserves by the river. Long and narrow with not real indication that there are any specific sites laid out. They all park quite close to each other. Here on the Mosel they park side-by-side whereas in the Rhine they park nose-to-tail. Of course, all the campers have bikes which they us a lot.

At the twelve kilometre mark it was time for a rest and coffee to help us tackle the second half of the journey. An elderly gentleman at Erdon provided the coffee and friendly conversation. Interestingly, the entrance to the cafe was flanked by pumpkins, squash and other fruit of the same family, all for sale. I can only presume that they just sit out there until sold. There were literally dozens and dozens of them. Nobody in their right mind would move them in and out each day. The elderly chap gave us a much appreciated, informative booklet about the Mosel. Reading that over the coffee I learned what I had suspected yesterday – there is no moselle on the Mosel. Sixty-one percent of the grapes grown are Riesling. Muller-Thurgau make up 12% and Elbling 6%. The remaining 21% is comprised of four other varieties.
 

The next couple of villages came and went quickly so we had a sense that the end was in sight. Before we knew it the castle after which Bernkastel is named came into sight. The next thing we knew we were at our destination! What a sterling effort by Kerry to make it all the way. And just in time too! We had decided that 24kms was far enough for one day so bought some tickets for ourselves and our bikes on the boat back to Traben-Trarbach. As we locked the bikes to the nearest tree down on the dock the heavens opened up. You could see it coming up the river from whence we had just come. Scurrying down a little lane we found the town square and an inviting cafe so in there we darted and escaped most of the downpour.

Warm and dry we shared a delicious, warm apple strudel and Florentine biscuit with our coffee. It was no surprise that the store was already full of people keeping out of the weather. Despite it being packed to bursting the service was excellent. The ladies went about their business with no fuss or bother. A few places we’ve visited so far could take a lesson on service from the ladies at the Hoffman Cafe. While the rain continued to come down, although by now it was just a drizzle, we popped in and out of shops around the square and the lanes radiating from it. The boat was due to depart at 15:20 so at 14:55 we started to head back to the dock. We walked past a store that had a golden-coloured poncho displayed outside. Kerry fell in love with it instantly. She went into the store, tried it on and, with 15 minutes before the boat left, bought it without any “shall I, shan’t I”. It’s interesting how quickly one can make a decision to purchase when the outcome of indecision is a 24km ride on a bicycle in the rain.

With our bikes retrieved from the tree on the dock we boarded the boat, parked our bikes at the pointy end with about fifty others and found a table upstairs in the warm cabin. The boat left on time and we sat back to enjoy the beautiful landscape of the Mosel. Of course, it was beautiful on the way up on the bike but it had a special look on the way downstream with a glass of Riesling in hand!

After two hours, which included a stop on one of the river’s many locks where we dropped six metres, we trundled into Traben-Trarbach, returned our bikes to the store just before closing time at 18:00 and headed home exhausted, but happy, after a memorable day.