Bernkastel-Kues

I was up early, but didn’t want to disturb Diane. I snuck into the bathroom and crashed about as usual while I washed and dressed. I then grabbed the MacBook and my phone and headed for the lounge, where I could write my blog and grab some coffee. When I started, the sun hadn’t yet popped its head over the surrounding hillsides (though it was obviously light). It was gone 7:30 before it burst over the hillside and painted the river with light.

Today’s stop, Bernkastel-Kues is one of the prettiest and most visited towns along the Moselle River—very much a “storybook Germany” kind of place. The area was inhabited back in the Neolithic era, with evidence found from 5,000 years ago. The town itself goes back to Roman times (at least the 4th century). It was first mentioned in the 11th century. In the 7th century, the town was controlled by the Merovingian and Luxembourg forces from the fortress, high above the town.

Our excursion was a trip around the area on the land train, but as we had a couple of hours to kill, we walked into town and wandered through the market squares, and along the picturesque streets and alleyways. It was charming, and we were there early enough to see it before the roads became clogged with tourists. 

After an hour or so, we decided it was time to sit and have a coffee. We chose one of the squares and sat down outside a cafe. Coffee was served, and within about 10 minutes, it became clear we had started a rush, as one by one the other tables filled up with tourists sporting accents from all of Europe.

We made our way to the pick-up point for the land train. It looped across the bridge and took us through Kues, passing the Cusanus Foundation, a Medieval complex founded by Nikolaus von Krebs, over 500 years ago. It serves as a home for elderly men, but also houses a rich library and a museum. We then climbed through the town and up onto the steep hills beyond. From the top, we could look down across the twin towns and see the extent of the vineyards as they carpeted the hillsides all around. The land train took us back to river level and back across the bridge into Berncastel where it tootled through the streets we explored earlier. Finally, we were deposited back at our starting point and walked back to the boat.

The afternoon was spent drifting slowly upriver. This stretch of the Moselle is a series of loops and curves and would be a wonderful study for a geography class. We passed dozens of vineyards and tiny chocolate-box towns. The only interruption to the afternoon was a mandatory safety drill, which was chaotic, but we were soon able to resume our study of the world as it drifted by.

The boat moored up at a place called Riol, a little way out of Trier. We met up for a drink and to listen to the port briefing for tomorrow, then went down to dinner. (Di had lamb, IO had perch). The evening’s entertainment was called Hollywood Divas, and featured an opera singer from Paris, singing songs from various films… Breakfast at Tiffany's, Abba, My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music, and so forth. I’m sure she was very good, but it is not my sort of music.