Black Cats and Vines

Mosel Bike-Barge Day 2 – Sun 28th August 2016 – Cochem –> Zell –> Bernkastel (bike tour 50 Km)

Weather: 16⁰C min – 28⁰C max, mainly fine and clear.

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“Don’t buy upgrades, ride up grades ” ~ Unknown

Excitement was in the air this morning because this was our first day of riding and we were blessed with another perfect warm sunny day. I was awoken just before 7 am by the throbbing sound of the Iris’ engines and when I looked out the window, which is barely above water level, I could see that we were already gliding along the Mosel towards Beilstein where our ride was to commence.

Breakfast on the boat was as comprehensive as any of the B&B’s I have stayed at on recent tours. Wasting nothing, the left over fresh bread, cheeses, sliced meat, fresh fruit and pastries were then used to pack picnic lunches to take with us on our ride. By that time we had reached the small town of Beilstein where we walked up the hill to admire the Black Madonna in the chapel of the Carmelite Monastery high above and a spectacular view of the river below.

Rolling along at a nice gentle pace of about 17 Kph we followed the Mosel upstream to Zell where we enjoyed our packed lunch on the lawns down by the water. Zell is famous for its wine called Zeller Shwarze Katz which in German means “The black cat from Zell”. According to legend, a black cat fiercely protected a barrel of Zell wine which was cellared among barrels of several other wines, which it completely ignored. It was presumed by the local wine merchants that the Zeller wine must be special. Zell wineries capitalized on the popular legend by featuring black cats on their labels. The image is now a hallmark of wines produced from the town and a black cat even appears on the Zell flag.

After lunch we continued to Traben-Trarbach, passing through beautiful vineyards along the way. Our pleasant ride of about 50 Km finished at Traben-Trarbach, where we reboarded Iris and sailed peacefully for the rest of the journey to the old and picturesque town of Bernkastel-Kues. Pride of the town is the market square with its picturesque timber-framed houses. It was getting too dark for photos but we will get another opportunity after our ride tomorrow because we are staying two nights at this delightful town.

This is my first bike-barge tour and I must say that riding and cruising make an excellent combination, particularly when experienced with good friends and under the expert guidance of our wonderful tour guides Ilse and Francien. To top off a marvellous first day of riding we were then treated to another fantastic 3-course dinner cooked by our amazing chef Bas. Hospitality at its best!