"Intense pleasure for your eyes!": Kobern-Gondorf to Ellenz-Poltersdorf
We both slept really well in the historic Pension, Weinhaus Moselschanke, and enjoyed breakfast. Mary Ellen has slept for over 12 hours and is eating very little, so we hope that today will be a better day.
The recent heavy rains have certainly resulted in very high water levels for the Mosel. We can see areas of flooding, but so far our cycle route is ok. However, we can certainly see where the trail has recently flooded and was inaccessible. Today, we have also seen campgrounds that are cut off by high water and closed.
We continue to be impressed by the scenery and the interesting towns along the Mosel. Towering cliffs with rocky promontories and vineyards stretching upwards on incredibly steep gradients are truly impressive sights.
We pulled into a campground right on the Mosel River, "Holiday Camping". Not the best campground that we have camped at. It offered very limited facilities for campers.
The campground owners have put all of their energies into the restaurant. Many of the people staying for the season in their caravans were well into their beer and riesling by the time we arrived. We noticed a woman proudly wearing a t-shirt that said, "Intense Pleasure for Your Eyes" and take it from us, it truly wasn't! However, it does sum up our feelings about the Mosel route so far.
The other problem with the campground was the loud noise from the road and the German rock music blaring until well past midnight next door.
We will be tired but happy to get back on the bike.
Ready to head out after a good night at the Pension - and glad to see blue skies.
The ruins of Thurant Castle above Alken was purchased and rebuilt by the Allmer family in 1911. The two towers signify the time when the castle was shared by the Archbishops of Koln and Trier. There was a massive wall separating the two areas and separate gates were necessary.
Well, you meet all kinds on the road....and this guy is certainly a character. He worked for several years in Canada and wanted to share his experiences with us. The detail of the conversion of his BMW motorbike was unbelievable. No area was left without "cat" detailing, including the rims and hubs.
