Kesten…Lecker Flammkuchen

On Sunday we moved further south along the Moselle. We had planned to stop at the Stellplatz at Kinheim but this was a bit full (bank holiday Sunday) so we moved up-river a few miles to Kesten, where there was plenty of space. Kesten (N49 deg 54 min 10 sec E 6 deg 57 min 43 sec) is an easy access stellplatz, close to the river (ideal for canoeing) and just next to the wine town of Kesten. Many thanks to Joy and Alan for suggesting this stop.

Our Pitch at Kesten

The first day dawned clear but it would cloud over later.

There isn’t as much traffic on the Moselle as the Rhine but the odd barge and passenger cruiser chug past.

Early Morning Light on the Moselle

On our first morning we set off along the cycle path through the vines, heading north to Bernkastel-Kues.

This guy kindly touched down next to us while we were cycling along.

Schloss Lieser…built by Eduard Puricelli, special attache to Emperor Wilhelm II, in 1884. We passed this castle en route to Bernkastel.

Detail of the frescoes which cover the castle.

This is Bernkastel-Kues, approached from the cycle track along the river. It is two towns, Bernkastel on the far bank and Kues on the near side of the bridge.

We refuelled at the wine museum after cycling here. The man waving is with a group of Germans we chatted to. We discovered a lovely tasty dry and sparkling Riesling and had to buy a couple of bottles…just to be polite. We ordered a Flammkuchen to eat with the wine, not really sure what it would be, and it turns out that it is a pizza with a very thin base…yummy. We have also, incidentally, learnt that the german for yummy is ‘Lecker’.

After a quick mosey around Kues we crossed the bridge to Bernkastel.

Dog Watering Stop

Renaissance Town Hall in Bernkastel Market Square.

More pretty Bernkastel half timbered buildings.

Weinstubes are everywhere. The word translates to ‘Wine-Room’.

We had just settled down for a nice brace of ice-creams in a square just behind the river front when the skies suddenly darkened and it began to pour with rain. One of us was dispatched to fetch the cycle and dog cart, to give the torpid terriers somewhere dry to sit, while Nia sat under the cafe parasols and guarded the ice-creams. So the visit to Bernkastel was a bit truncated, but by the time we had cycled back to Kesten it was dry again.

The next day we cycled up river to the locks and hydro-electric power station at Minheim, then came back at a higher level, through the vineyards that cover the sides of the Moselle valley.

Looking down on Kesten, and the vine covered slopes of the valley.

It was a bit cold cycling so we baled out at lunchtime and headed to a Kesten winery for more pizza and to try some of the local wines.

In the evening I blew the canoe up and paddled up river a bit.

The front row motorhomes get a good view of the river. We are moving off again tomorrow…we will head for Trier, the very old town with a Roman history, close to the border with Luxembourg.

About Peter and Nia

Rambling about Europe with the Kray Twins (Colin and Penny).