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Monschau is on the edge of the "Eiffel"; forest covered hills that stretch for about fifty miles across central Germany.The campsite was in a densely wooded valley and has a footpath following a burbling stream to the beautiful medieval town of Monschau. The area is ideal for walkers with many designated cycle and footpath routes through the forest.After five days and nights exploring the area by foot and car we departed for our next destination- Rudesheim at the foot of the Rhine valley.
I still can't get over the joy of driving in Germany. On the hundred-mile mid-day journey on the B258 across the picturesque Eiffel from Monschau to Koblenz (via Nurburgring) we were virtually the only car on the road and the Autobahns are so clear and stress-free also. We were towing the caravan of course but on the few occasions when we had a car behind us the driver was quite happy to hold well back at 50-60 mph until the road was clear to overtake. No road rage and no impatience.
We crossed the Rhine at Koblenz and followed the river through the Rhine gorge down to Rudesheim.Rudesheim was a very good riverside site with all mod cons and within easy walking distance of the town along the river. For the whole seven day's stay we didn't need to use the car at all. We found that KD cruise ships give half fare to OAPs on Mondays and Fridays so we had a couple of trips by riverboat to a few other towns along the Rhine. The boats are quite large and all have a bar and restaurant. They run every hour or so and call in at every significant town along the way.
Our trips averaged about three hours each way and it was nice to be able to have a drink without worrying about driving.We visited Bacharach- a small medieval town with a Castle; and Bingen, a much larger but unspoilt town (also with its castle) sitting onthe Nahe tributary where it joins the Rhine. We also had a trip from Rudesheim up and over the vineyards by cable car to the Niederwald Denkmal. This is a huge monument, a giant bronze and iron statue of Germania on the hill overlooking the Rhine Valley and vineyards above Rudesheim.
It was built by Kaiser Wilhelm as a symbolic defender of the Rhine and is very impressive.After a pleasant walk through the forest we took another cable car down to Assmanshausen and then by riverboat back to Rudesheim. There was a very reasonable all-in price for this excursion.
On another day we took a stroll up to the Asbach distillery where we sampled smooth and delicious sixteen year old Brandy in the visitor centre and then down to a Sekt kellerei where we sampled vintages of the famous German sparkling wine.After a week at Rudesheim we spent a few days at Bernkastel-Kues on the lower Mosel.
Bernkastel is very picturesque, full of half-timbered medieval houses and cobbled squares. We also took an interesting cruise on the Mosel negotiating a very deep lock along the way. The Mosel is a slow, shallow, meandering river, completely different to the mighty Rhine. All other rivers in Germany have the masculine gender; Der Rhine, Der Donau , Der Ruhr etc. but the Mosel is so placid and beautiful the Germans have given it the feminine gender - Die Mosel.
Our last venue was a site behind a German tavern in Igel, a small village on the Mosel near the Luxembourg border with an hourly bus service to Trier. There is also a cycle track following the Mosel into town and bikes can be hired. Trier, which was once the Roman capital town of Europe, is our favourite German town . It is a large town with both broad and narrow, cobbled streets opening into many wide squares with fountains, pavement cafes and markets.
The medieval half-timbered buildings are five and six stories high in tasteful pastel shades. The Romans built a great wall around the town and a massive stone gatehouse barracks called Porta Nigra - The Black Gate. It still stands much as it did in AD500 when the Romans were kicked out and it is well worth the small fee charged for climbing the wide stone stairs through the decorated galleries to the top where there is a magnificent view over the town.
After exploring Porta Nigra we wandered around town, had a meal and coffee and Italian ice at a pavement cafe and bought delicious black cherries at the fruit and flower market. There was too much to see in one trip and we returned every day of our stay.Trier is within driving distance of Calais but we made an overnight stop at Dinant, Belgium to break the journey and also spent a couple of days at Guines a lovely site with a swimming pool only a few miles from the Ferry Terminal.It was a wonderful three week holiday driving 1000 miles from home to home.
The weather was fantastic, the food tasty, the beer and wine good. We were equipped to prepare meals in our caravan but most main meals were taken in pubs and cafes. As in any other country it is nice to be able to speak a few words in the local tongue but the German people are very friendly and most are keen to practice their excellent English. We did not book any of the sites in advance but this was mainly in off peak season of course.We have already planned our holiday for this year in the Black Forest!
Geoff & Pat Massey
March 2009
