When the morning fog disappears the skies are overcast. Our path is right next to the Moselle River and we continue to go through one charming village after another. The restoration and care these buildings have received is amazing. There are plenty of tour buses parked at the towns now. We pass some pretty impressive ruins of an 12th century monastery. Vineyards in this area are on some of the steepest slopes in the world (75%). In one village I visited a wine museum for a tour of the vineyard, history, and tasting. At the next village there was a castle overlooking the village. As I started the journey to the castle, I met a woman from Vermont. Based on our conversation, I decided to “wimp out”. But I found a great place in town for lunch.
In the village of Cond I took a winery tour and then crossed the bridge to Cochem. This town is the most popular tourist destination in the river valley. There are lots of small shops and plenty of places to eat. I found a German bakery for a pastry. The narrow streets were so crowded that it was difficult to walk at times. I counted four river cruise ships at dock side. I heard some people talking differently (English). They were three ladies doing one of the river cruises. One was from Kentucky and the other two were from Arizona. They seemed to be having a great time. My next stop was the village of Pommern for a glass of wine at an outdoor restaurant right next to the path. I met a couple from British Columbia who were driving down the valley. They were bicyclist and wanted to learn all the details of my adventure.
