Riesling and the Mosel: Cochem to Wolf

September 6, 2014

Chief navigator here. We woke up this morning with the castle in the mist...but unfortunately by the time I got organized the mist had cleared so I missed out on what I thought would make a great photo opp. Another great day on the bikes with a bit of a late start but finally got rolling around 11:00. First thing as we crossed the bridge I accidentally ticked off a local man by ringing my bell to let him know I was behind him. I was on the sidewalk where I thought I should be. You didn't need to speak German to know I was being told in the clearest of fashion that I should be on the road. Kathleen killing herself laughing probably didn't do anything to make him feel more kindly toward us. We went by telling him sorry and thank you for setting us straight. It was quite funny, actually (for us anyway). Then it was on to more great scenery, again numerous bikers of all ages, with electric bikes quite common with the 75+ crowd. It's very cool to see the senior seniors on wheels.

There seems to be a pattern developing here starting with breakfast provided with our accommodation, a couple hours of stop and go cycling, a short break for a coffee and apple strudel, and another stop in the early afternoon for a snack to provide the necessary fuel for the remainder of our daily ride. Today I was so enraptured by the apple strudel I almost forgot to pay for it.

As we were riding I commented on the fact that our waterproof jackets hadn't been required to this point in our trip. Mistake...within an hour we were into our panniers for our rain jackets. As the initial light rain fell before the rain jackets appeared Paul Morgan, a golf buddy, came to mind. What would Paul do or say in this situation? It would likely be "I knew this was a bad idea" or "I'm out of here". The shower lasted less than half an hour and skies cleared. At one point the heavens opened up and it really bucketed for about five minutes. We retreated, with two other cyclists, under the canopy of some trees. Ten minutes after that it was blue sky and sunshine for the rest of the day. We forgot to take a picture of the rain!

Our only navigation issues today were when we were presented with two possibilities to get to the same destination. We get excited by our Galloping Goose trail system, but what can you say about a country that has multiple ways to get to the same place on a bike? Pretty awesome, but then comes the dilemma, which will be most scenic. We made one choice today - we think the right one - to go up through the vineyards and then down to the Mosel, but not before starting along the riverbank on the other side, looking up, seeing the alternative and making a u-turn. This involved retracing our steps and crossing the bridge but was actually fun. Kathleen wasn't sure about heading back up the hill, but then realized that it certainly was not, by Vancouver Island standards, what one would call a hill. A lumpette perhaps?

We are spending the night in Wolf, in honour of our friend Wolfgang. We have a fabulous bike and bett, or is that bett and bike?? Hard to remember after sampling the Mosel Riesling. We ate dinner tonight over looking the river and had a fabulous time. Competently posting the blog will be a challenge!

High water marks. We are glad we weren't here in 1993. We would have needed scuba gear to access the bike path.

And here is the lovely Mona: Hund of the Day.

View across the river to another amazing town.

Keith picking plums by the trail. Yummy!

Yes, the trail is really this good...except when it is better!

This time I am tasting the purple grapes. We predict 2014 will be a very good year for wine.

Really, the views never end. We just can't get over how beautiful it is.

Through the vineyards to the next village.

German fare after a great ride. Packing in more calories, some of them liquid and all delicious.

Today's ride: 63 km (39 miles)
Total: 286 km (178 miles)

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