Germany's Mosel Valley: Bernkastel-kues

[leaky20]

Day two of our trip took us into the Mosel valley, a region located in Western Germany sort of between Cologne and Frankfurt, but a little closer to the border of Luxembourg. Its a really beautiful spot known for its castles, medieval villages and many many vineyards that specialize in Riesling (mostly) and Pinot noir.

Originally I had planned for us to stop in several towns that first day as we made our way to our hotel in Cochem. Among the locations were the city of Trier, Bernkastel-Kues, and Beilstein and maybe even Traben Trarbach if we had time. However, I decided against the whole idea shortly before our departure. Though all of the towns are very close together, that many stops along the way meant that we would be rushing to get through each location without really having any time to actually enjoy any one of them. Instead we opted to only stop in Berkastel-Kues and then spend the rest of the day in Cochem. I think it was the right choice overall. Even with us leaving Luxembourg early in the morning that first day I still felt a bit rushed in each location.

Bernkastel-kues

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Berkastel-Kues, sometimes referred to as "the heart" of the Mosel valley, is located along the banks of the Mosel river. The Mosel river runs directly through the town itself and essentially splits it in two. On one side of the river is an old medieval castle and well preserved old market square with buildings dating back to the 17th century.

It took us about an hour to get there from Luxembourg and we arrived fairly early in the day maybe around 10am or so. We parked our car just outside the main city center and walked a pedestrian and bike path along the river to the main part of town.

One of the first things that we saw on arrival was the main market square, a lovely little spot characterized by its cobble stone streets and brightly colored buildings, most of which have been converted into restaurants, cafes and souvenir shops.

A large fountain stands in the middle of the square and just behind that is the well preserved "Rathaus" building or Town hall. The building looks almost new despite being more than a few centuries old.

One of the most famous sites in town is the "Spitzhauschen" or "pointed house." As the name suggests, it is a tall and skinny building with a pointed roof that dates back to the year 1416. Today the houses is used as a small wine bar.

Not surprisingly, many people were gathered in this location to take photos. I also noticed several walking tours wandering through town, all of which stopped here at some point along the way. With it being such a busy location it can be a bit challenging to get a clear shot of the building without anyone else in the photo.

Sometimes you just have to aim high and shoot over top of other peoples heads.

There were plenty of other cool buildings to see in town as well. We enjoyed meandering our way through town with no set destination in mind.

I mentioned in a previous post that I really get a kick out of plants and vines growing across city streets. Needless to say, I found this little area to be right up my alley. Was that a Pun?

The photo below is of the same location, just a little closer up. I couldn't decide which photo I liked more so I decided to post them both. My wife actually took the first one and I took the second. I personally think that hers is better then mine. That happens... on occasion.

Ha, she will give me a hard time for saying that last part, but this is my blog and I get to say whatever I want on here.

We had heard from a friend that Germany was known for their spaghetti ice cream, which is basically just vanilla ice cream that has been pushed through a potato ricer to give it the appearance of a nice thick pasta. Topped with a red fruit sauce and some coconut flakes really add to the illusion and make it resemble a large plate of spaghetti with tomato sauce and parmigiana cheese. Its a bit of a novelty, but we are suckers for ice cream, so it was a novelty that we had to try. I would say that it was quite good overall, definitely worth trying at least once, or twice, or maybe even three times.

Generally, we have found that the portion sizes in Europe tend to be much smaller then the ones back home in Canada. That's not a bad thing by any means. Half the time back home you can't even finish whats on your plate and you have to get the remainder wrapped up in a box to take home. Having lived in France for a year now though, we are completely used to small portion sizes. These plates of ice cream were our first experience with Germany's large portion sizes for food. The plates were massive compared to the general European standards that we have grown used to. We could have easily split one of these ice creams and we would have been completely satisfied.

I'm not complaining here though. At one point I turned to my wife and said something along the lines of "Now that's good value." My wife and I both laughed and that little phrase sort of became our mantra for our entire trip in Germany anytime we ate or ordered drinks.

Beer served in one litre steins and wine glasses literally filled to the brim. You may pay the same amount as you do in France but you get twice as much. "Now that's great value!"

This post has turned out to be a bit longer than I originally anticipated so I think I will stop here. The next stop of our trip was Cochem. Thanks for Reading.

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If you are interested in reading more about our trip I will be posting about it over the next few days. For the previous post click the link below.

Luxembourg City

Comments

[joanstewart]

Luxembourgh is so small before you realize it you are over the borders, had a fun time there many years ago. You were wise to select one stop off and more time in a place, when on the move we tend to try squeeze in too much and miss the experience.

We did not see this quaint little town so thanks for sharing through the lens, wonderful little places making great memories @leaky20

[leaky20]

Yes that is all very true. I am starting to realize that its not worth it to try and squeeze in too many stops. I just want to see it all though!!! Lol
But yeah, its way more enjoyable to slow it down and enjoy one location at a time.

[joanstewart]

Fortunately digital cameras then blogging about places will keep them fresh in your mind. Wonderful things we have today in technology.

[leaky20]

Yes. Very true as well

[wulff-media]

We are blessed with a huge number of post-war Italian immigrants, hard-working folks who integrated perfectly and often started businesses around the specialty skills of their old country. Some of that old ethic survives, and if you're lucky, you'll find a gelateria where they still make the icecream from scratch and with natural ingredients. Alas, many have succumbed to the profit and convenience of industrial mixes :-(

Same goes for Italian restaurants. Some are still authentic. Your taste buds will tell the difference and word gets around where it's good and where not. There are more "Italian" trades besides food, like stone sculpting, stucco, tailoring, and what not. This is how immigration should work, but that's a huge subject to discuss elsewhere.

Coming to think of it, around the Rhine and Mosel rivers there are traces of Italian immigration dating back over 2,000 years. The Romans loved it here :-)

[leaky20]

Hmm thats interesting. We had some really good gelato in heildeburg. That was the best ice cream we had in the country, I think. I didnt realize that there was such a strong Italian influence in the region. I'm trying to think if we ate at any Italian restaurants during our trip... We did in Wurzburg I believe, and it was quite good.

[sjarvie5]

Thanks this was a fun post! What a beautiful place.

[leaky20]

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[discoveringarni]

I found this little area to be right up my alley. Was that a Pun?

That's a good one! 😄 Same here, I like ivy and creepers on buildings and charming flowers on windowsill. I hadn't encountered spaghetti ice cream during short trips to Germany before. I discover a lot of new specialties to try from you.

[leaky20]

Well there are so many different foods and drinks in each location its impossible to try the all. If you are an ice cream fan like us then now you know for next time I guess lol

[discoveringarni]

haha yes, I would add that up to my growing list

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[leaky20]

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