Tomorrow….well, let’s see if the head will function before we put anything in gear.
10 July ’04, Thursday. Well, is it too much to ask for the “CHICKEN DANCE” ? We went into town this morning to visit the Reinburg Castle and tour the town as well. We did. Also we wanted to find an Internet Café….We did. We also again wanted to go to the grocery store early this morning and again…We did..Except in this case for some unknown reason the store was CLOSED. What is this ANOTHER HOLIDAY ???? And beside that a 4 DAY Holiday ???? We try to follow the holiday schedules that we have found in all the books (but apparently we are reading the wrong books) but again we are just lucky as we can barely get by with what provisions we have one more time. Enough about the holidays. The Reichburg Castle is really stunning. The first construction started on the castle in the year 1000. Final restoration was completed in the late 1800’s. As you come in to town it is the first thing you notice as it sits high on the hill side overlooking the town and the Mosel Valley below. It is completely furnished and each person that comes in has a guide to acquaint you with all the history of the castle and the decor. This evening we took the van and drove back into town after a thunderstorm. This gave us an opportunity to visit the Internet Café and spend just under 2 hours as well as take in the evenings festivities. We were very pleased to get so many emails today. Not only from the girls and mom but from Claudia & Leroy and Els & Cees as well. Els and Cees are just about ready to leave for Croatia from Holland….we would really like to bump into them there. Then off to the evening festivities that included at least a dozen wine makers circling a band stand. On the bandstand, was a large ensemble playing wonderful German music that kept you swaying from side to side and singing out even when you didn’t know the music or the words (we were probably helped by the wonderful wine). It didn’t bother anyone who made it to the festivities, that it was raining like heck. It just mattered that we all had a good time !!!
Tomorrow….well, let’s see if the head will function before we put anything in gear.
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9 & 10 June '04, Wed & Thurs. Our travels have brought us further up the Mosel. We are now in Cochem. We arrived yesterday afternoon and it was "Hot" and I mean "Hot". For all the travels we have had in the past few months this was the hottest. I'm sure that the humidity has something to do with it. We have moved into another pitch on the Mosel. This one is larger and very clean facilities but, it isn't what we have had in the past few weeks. Oh well, it isnj't about campgrounds is it? We made it through the afternoon and into the evening and the temp did come down so that we could sleep quite well. This morning we got an early start. There is a beautiful castle on the hill overlooking the town a the Mosel that we want to tour early to stay out of the heat of the day. Well, we made the tour and it was a great one at that. On the way back into town from the castle we noticed that the clouds were getting very dark....yep, it turned into a lightning storm and has been a down pour since. Tomorrow....further up the Mosel. 7 and 8 June ’04, Monday and Tuesday. This spot on the Mosel is just absolutely beautiful and the “pitch” just couldn’t be better. All this said, we have found ourselves just doing nothing but kicking back. A little wine, food, sun, and swimming in the Mosel and that is all we have wanted since we pulled into Traben-Trarbach. We are just Loving it with a capitol “L”. All this said, on our trip into town we did see a wonderful Roman ruin on top of the hill above town and we walked under the old City Gates at the end of the bridge. Another happy moment was when we were able to get and answer some email from the Tourist Information Center computer. Tomorrow…..more Mosel. 6 June ’04, Sunday. Louise and I headed out just after breakfast for town and you couldn’t believe your eyes….we don’t know just where they were coming from but they were all arriving. Big, little, and in-between, dads, moms, kids, grandparents, dogs, all on a whole bunch of bikes, scooters, trikes, and roller-blades as well. One of the first things that was really obvious was the lack of car noise…motors, tire and just the whishing… Pretty nice. After we got into town and did some of the usual things we decided to go to the castle on top of the hill above the towns. Now I must tell you, this was no little task. It was straight up and it was hot !!! Well, we were proud of our hike and decided we would treat ourselves with lunch up there…not to be…CLOSED? Who makes these decisions? We were hot, hungry, thirsty, and ….oh well, we’ll make it down and have a great meal….Beer and Brocks !!!! Just what we were looking for. On our arrival in the campgrounds we met our neighbors who were from Bavaria. Sascha, Karlygash, and Aidana have been using this campground for a number of seasons. They helped Louise and I with a ton of information as to different locations and campgrounds throughout Europe that they thought we might find a lot of fun to visit. They also invited us out on their boat for a day of cruising on the Mosel and to their new home that they are just now completing. What can we say again….Great people and families. Tomorrow….Traben-Trarbach. 5 June ’04, Saturday. Winding twisting Mosel...what a beautiful sight, taste, and aroma all wrapped up into one. Well, I’m jumping ahead a little. Last night after dinner, Louise and I were just settling in (I was doing my journal) and our neighbors came home. They were carrying a bottle of wine with them from one of the many wineries. Well, I hate to say it but this was an opportunity to open a conversation (if they spoke English), so I flung our door open and said “Hi”. This is all it took and the rest of the evening was about to begin. Warner and Eri (Raiser) came into our lives (remember, they had the wine). Just kidding, they are a couple that are on vacation here on the Mosel (from a town just outside of Stuttgard) and they just happen to have a VW Campervan as well (only theirs is just like new but a couple of years newer). They were gracious enough to offer their wealth (the wine) which we found very tasty. After a late night and getting up very late this morning we said goodbye to Warner, Eri, and Neumagen and headed further up river. After passing through many incredible villages we finally pulled into Bernkastel-Kues. We knew a week or more ago that we wanted to stay here but really didn’t know it would be so soon. Oh yes, we did stop in Piesporter. Louise and I first fell in love with a Piesporter Goldtrofen Spatlese in Spokane quite a few years ago so we definitely wanted to pick up at least a couple more bottles now. As it was we bought 4 and would have bought more but we just don’t have the space…. We do look forward to some “good drinkin” in the next few weeks while here in the Mosel Valley and beyond. Enough about wine…(is there ever enough?)…we have some exploring to do as well. The two villages of Bernkastel and Kues (1 on one side of the river and 1 on the other) offer romance in all the unique nooks, crannies, narrow lanes and picturesque architecture. This is like stepping into a fairytale book and living it as well. There is a lot of history here starting with 700 years of history with the town gate. Enough for now….Tomorrow….Bernkastel and Kues (with out cars, trucks, motorcycles). 4 June ’04, Friday. 0615 is the earliest we have made it up so far. Now you have to understand, we were doing it for “Bumble Bee”. We wanted to be first in line this morning to get an oil change. By the time it was all over we had a few minor additions added to the bill but all is good. We wanted to get an early start on the road as well. This would give us a chance to travel the riverside road and enjoy the beautiful scenery. As we left Trier I wanted to fill with gas but the only station I found was charging too much for their gas so, I drove on….yep, you almost guessed it. It was really close, but we did find a station to fill at and it didn’t take us too far out of the way (now that’s my story and I’m sticking to it). Anyway, the roadway we took today was really beautiful. From both sides of the river valley, to the crest of the steep hills, and just about as far as you can see were grape orchards for the wineries. The Mosel is a winding and twisting river that almost crosses over it’s self as it carries onto it’s meeting with the Rhine. We have also come across quite a few Roman ruins. Sometimes it is just a pillar or a stone with some carvings on it, and then there are those ruins that are quite spectacular. We traveled less than 50 miles and were impressed. As we approached Neumagen (which we had never heard of) we decided to stop at the campgrounds next to the river and do some exploring. Well, we not only found a nice place to spend the night but we also found that they are not left out of the Roman ruin tour. We spend at least 2 hours walking this small town and just allowing the Roman history (Noviomagvs Neumagen) that we have seen here soak in. Truly beautiful !!! Speaking of TASTY, yep, I’m changing subjects…this evening we went wine tasting. This will not be our last!!!! Delicious…. Our first venture was “Dillé Wein - & Sekthaus. For a very dry and very tasty Riesling I chose a Dillé Riesling, Spätlese and Louise had a Dillé Goldfäbchen (a very smooth sweeter Riesling). And then for desert….Traditionelle Flaschengährung Riesling Brut and Extra Brut (Sparkling Wines)…..aaaahhhhh!!! What can I say….Goodnight All. Tomorrow…more of the Mosel 3 June ’04, Thursday. Quite honestly I didn’t know anything about Trier that I could remember prior to today. But this town has one heck of a long history behind it. It was founded by the Romans as “Augusta Treveorum” in 16 BC!!! Over 2000 years of history !!! Without a doubt it is Germany’s oldest city. Trier also boasts one of the most colorful markets in Europe with it’s outstanding ensemble of historical buildings and also being located right on the Moselle River. Louise and I will attest to the quality of the food at the cafes of the market square as well. Mmmm Good !!! The Dom “Trier Cathedral” is the oldest bishop’s church in Germany and was founded by Emperor Constantine. On the 20th anniversary of his administration he ordered the construction started around 326. It is a beautiful example of Roman Architecture. The cathedral also houses a most precious relic. Empress Helena discovered on a journey to Jerusalem what is believed to be the tunic of Christ. It has been retained in the Trier Cathedral every since. We found out at the tourist information center that if we tell them we are “Senior Citizens” we get special perks…will now we tell it to everyone that will listen. Budget, Budget, Budget. For $3.10 Euro ea. we got our passes for 6 different venues that we knew we wanted to see anyway. It was a great deal. The town isn’t too very large so we were able to walk from the campsite, into town, and to each of the attractions we had time for today. As it was, when we finally got back to the van we were wiped out. We found all the sites that we went to today not only beautiful to look at but, absolutely bowled over with the history behind them. We visited the Gothic church The Basilica of Our Lady, The Imperial Throne Room, The Roman Imperial Baths from the 4th century, the Electoral Palace and gardens, The Porta Nigra, which is one of the Roman city gates, and the Roman Amphitheater. Once we walked into the Amphitheater I remembered seeing Rick Steves standing in the center of this amphitheater and speaking to the small crowd around him. This amphitheater was so well designed that you can talk with a normal voice and be heard everywhere you might be sitting above. We also had an opportunity to go down into the lower chambers (under the dirt floor). We could only imagine who and what was kept under there and had to make their way up to fight for their life in front of the Roman crowds. Tomorrow….Oil Change for Bumble Bee !!! 2 June ’04. Wednesday. Please notice our St. Christofer for safe travel. Our trip down from Köln to Trier was filled with beautiful scenery once again. We definitely are in the “rolling hill” areas of Germany. Great road systems that are built for those who want speed and for those of us that just want to enjoy the view. We enjoyed the view and in traveling about 100 miles it took just about 5 hours. On the major roadways I have maintained 80-85km and for those who have the Porsche or Mercedes they have the fast lane that is ffaaassssttttttt!!!! Otherwise, stay RIGHT !! For this trip we stayed with the major highway system pretty much all the way. We will take the Moselle River roadway back up toward the Rhine, and I am sure will make a lot of stops along this beautiful pathway. As it is, we arrived in Trier about 4pm and found our campground waiting. We had stopped at a grocery store to re-stock the refrig and shelves so we had what we needed to make a great dinner. Smoked pork chops with all the trimmings. Again we are right on the river bank and enjoy all the river traffic as it meanders by. A new thing for us is the shop next door to us. It’s name is Bootshaus Ruderverein Treviris….otherwise, it is a rowing club. They are really very busy putting in and pulling out the rowing shells all day long. They do make a beautiful site gliding up and down the river. They have been running from 1 to 8 people per shell and when they come back the shell gets a complete rub down. Tomorrow…Trier. 1 June ’04, Tuesday. Let me tell you, it’s hard to believe it’s already the 1st of June. Time has really flown bye this last 8 to 9 months since we decided to sell the house and get started with our journey. Louise and I mention it everyday that we are really having the time of our life and wish that all of you could be here with us. Each day and moment is special. The one thing that we have to be careful of is not to become complacent. Yesterday about 1:30 we drove across the borders of Belgium and Germany. Today we walked across a bridge crossing the Rhine River and caught a tram into Köln to do a little sightseeing. As we approached downtown we were looking out of the windows to keep an eye on the Cathedral. This is always a landmark in the center of the towns and cities. Well just when we thought we might be getting close, the tram went underground and started going into right and left hand turns underground. Well to say the least we started to panic and jumped off….too early. As you come up out of the underground, all the tall buildings around you make it impossible to see the bell towers of the cathedral. No idea as to were you are…. The first direction we were given was completely opposite of what we wanted. Our second choice sent us directly to the Dom (Cathedral). Of course it was through a huge shopping area so we had a chance to catch up on some window shopping. Our first goal was to find an internet café. We found one and spent just under 2 hours on-line. Then onto a guided tour of the Köln Dom. This is Germany’s most visited sight. It also houses “fat Peter” which is the largest free swinging bell in world. It also houses the “Golden Shrine” which is said to hold relics and some bones of the Three Kings. The construction for the Dom started in 1248 but, wasn’t completed until 1880. Köln (Cologne) was made famous around the world by what started out as a medicine but ended up being one of the best known perfumes (Eau de Cologne). How’s that for a tidbit? Tomorrow…Down the Rhine to the Moselle and Trier, Germany. |
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