Wednesday, 24 September 2025

September Holiday: Monday, 22.09.2025

On Monday, the forecast wasn‘t good and the day did indeed start with rain, but we decided to go for a hike nonetheless and were lucky - by the time we left the hotel it had stopped raining and remained dry until the last few minutes on our way back to the hotel, and our rain geat remained in the rucksacks all day.

Morning view from our room

A nearby smaller town, Traben-Trarbach, can be reached by car along the river, a distance of about 25 km. On foot across the wooded ridge, the distance is less than 7 km. You can guess which option we chose, can‘t you!

Because of the wet and chilly morning, not many people were about in the historical part of Bernkastel, giving me the chance to take a few more pictures:







As is often the case, climbing the sometimes rather steep lanes up the vineyards sooner or later you come past a chapel, and this one was no exception.

From there, onwards and upwards the path lead through vineyards and woods and over the ridge before going downhill into Traben-Trarbach.











Of course, the town is all about wine, making and selling, and the tourism industry has long since picked up on it just like in Bernkastel, but we were surprised to see many abandoned buildings, shuttered shops and boarded up houses.












The church we visited was beautiful, and with its neo-Romanesque features and warm colours ‘spoke’ to me a lot more than the one we‘d visited in Kues.








An angel for my Mum
It being a Monday, most cafés and restaurants were closed. Some winebars were open, but we weren‘t looking for an alcoholic drink that time of day. Eventually, we found a café by the river where we had coffee and very good cake.

Next, we bought tickets for the trip back to Bernkastel by boat. The Mosel at this point meanders in loops and curves, which makes the journey two hours long at a leisurely pace with many stops along the way. 20 minutes of the trip are taken up by going through a lock. The impressive bridge we passed underneath was only finished in 2018.

Our boat, the Moselperle








A little after five we arrived at the hotel, in good time for a rest and changing into regular clothes for dinner, which was again excellent.

The day ended on a cosy note with us watching a rerun of Midsomer Murders.

14 comments:

  1. You walked there and went back on boat, I love that! Oh, I do wish I could have been with you. I really love the church too. Off to look it up now! I'm sure your Mum will read this and smile at the angel in the stained glass window. xx

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    1. It was a good combination of walk and boat trip. I sent my Mum the angel the same day with a text message, she‘s had the photo before it appeared here on my blog 😊❤️

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    2. Good for you! Isn't it something how we can send a photo instantly on our phones now? I looked up Traben -Trarbach a bit further. I read the most interesting article about it. https://homeofheroes.com/heroes-stories/world-war-ii/ray-e-jackson/ There, if you have the time, I hope you will read it. So wonderful of the young man in Germany to do so much for the American lady! I love what she wrote at the very end.

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    3. Dear Kay, that was an interesting and touching article! I know O.K. and I have walked exactly where it all happened, over the hill between Bernkastel and Traben-Trarbach, and in the ravine.
      Yes, the final paragraph of the article sums it up very well.

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    4. Thanks for reading it! I meant to say it was the village just across from there. Between your blog and my reading, I am really enjoying my visits to Germany.

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  2. I'm glad the rain held off so you can go for that lovely hike. Even without the blue skies, there are many beautiful photos for us to see. Thanks, Meike!

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    1. Thank YOU for reading and commenting, Ellen!
      A bit of rain doesn‘t deter us, but of course any walk or hike is easier without having to negotiate slippery paths.

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  3. The church's repeated rounded lines make it welcoming and warm.

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    1. As do the colours, I find. It is a place I can imagine being a real heart of its community.

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  4. What a beautiful church and it would be interesting to know the back story about the empty buildings and boarded up houses. Did a big employer close, or was there general economic hard times perhaps in '20 & '21? I always want to know the "why" of things.

    Ceci

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    1. Ceci, I like to find out things, too, which is why I love any chance for a behind the scenes glimpse.
      In the case of Traben-Trarbach, I suppose several factors combined to the sad state of some of its buildings. Of course, tourism and the entire gastro industry were severely affected by the pandemic. Plus it has become more and more difficult to find staff. Add to that the exploding cost of energy and building materials since the Ukraine war began, and the economic impact of all the uncertainties in connection with U.S customs policies.

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  5. A good walk and a boat trip to return sounds delightful.

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    1. It was a very good combination, and so we were on a boat at least once during almost two weeks in the Mosel region.

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