Rolling Along the River
Mosel Bike-Barge Day 4 – Tue 30th August 2016 – Bernkastel-Kues to Trier (bike tour 50 Km)
Weather: 14⁰C min – 22⁰C max, fine, clear
“Brains before beauty, wear your helmet!” ~ Unknown
What better way to spend a glorious sunny day than rolling along through lovely vineyards on both sides of the Mosel River. Riding was easy along the perfectly smooth, flat bike path that followed the river for almost the entire 54 Km. Our rendezvous with the barge to take us the final section of the route into Trier was not scheduled until 4 pm, so we had plenty of time for sight-seeing as well as a couple of coffee and gelato stops.
Our very knowledgeable guide Ilse took us to several interesting historical sights along the way including: a fascinating old wine press at Brauneberg (circa 1890); the very ornate St Michael’s Church at Piesport; Roman villas at Mehring and Longuich; and a replica of an old Roman wine ship at Neumagen-Dhron.
Our picnic lunch was consumed on a grassy area near Leiwen, with everyone except me taking the opportunity of wading in a nearby foot-bathing pool.
Our ride finished at Schweich where we boarded Iris to take us to Trier, the oldest city in Germany with the Porta Nigra, a Roman gate, dating from the first century after Christ. Because we only have a short ride tomorrow we will not be setting of until mid-day, so will have the morning free to explore this interesting and lively city.
And so ends another fabulous day of riding and sight-seeing along the Mosel. The week is passing too quickly!
