GERMAN RIVERS: Bernkastle-Kues to Trier

(Published late due to poor internet service the last several days.)

Last night, in Bernkastel- Kues, we had a wine tasting at Anton Zimmermann winery, conducted by the owner, Herr Zimmermann.  His English was easily understandable and his descriptions of the grapes and the wine processing were very informative.  The wines we tasted were very good and the prices very low.  I asked about buying a case and shipping it to the US; he replied “Only pallets” - 30 or so cases.

This is the last day to ride in Germany.  It's cloudy and there's a 60% chance of rain but everyone is riding.  It's misting as we start, then gets harder.  A few riders stop to put on their rain pants after the first mile.  The rain stops and doesn't start again until the last mile.

The path is mostly asphalt today which is good.  In previous days we've also had concrete (when part of the road), pavers (not sure why anyone would take the time to install these), cobblestone (We hate this rough surface), gravel and dirt.  We're along the river and in vineyards today; a very picturesque day,

After wandering around Trier we arrived back at the river. At the second bridge, the Romerbrocke Bridge, we looked across the Mosel and there was our hotel.  The trip was over and everyone is safe and sound.  You may remember several days ago, when we had a lot of rain and unpaved roads, I told about falling while crossing railroad tracks.  I later learned that 5 other people fell that day.  But we were all going slowly and no one was hurt.

With the ride over, the usual priority is to disassemble the bikes and put them in their cases.  But we have a day and a half to do this so some of us go searching for lunch.  We stumble onto an incredible Italian restaurant - Italian wines only and opera on the sound system. We take a long and leisurely lunch, well deserved. Then Brenda and I pack the bikes, getting them both in their cases in less than 90 minutes.