Traben-Trarbach to Bernkastel-Kues

 A side note on the hyphenated town names.  In many places here there are towns on both sides of the river which were historically distinct.  In modern times (bridges) they have merged, hence the hyphenated names.

Another easy day of riding, only about 25 km. We started out by crossing the river from our hotel on the Traben side to Trarbach, and then it was easy pedaling on great paths.  In every village (and frequently in between) there are signs inviting cyclists to stop in for wine.

We stopped in the old town of Zeltingen to walk around a bit and admire the buildings.  Had a nice conversation for a while with an 82 year old woman who was sitting outside a hotel.  Between her total lack of English and my virtually-total lack of German it was not easy, but with enough hand-waving we more-or-less made it work.  

We stopped at a hotel on the edge of town for a cold drink, and ended up in a long conversation with a man who was there on vacation.  Although German, he had lived in England for about 10 years so no problems communicating.  He is a widower, lonely, and I think would have been very happy had we sat talking for the rest of the afternoon.

We rolled into Bernkastel-Kues before 2 and found the small hotel, Cafe Rosi, we'd reserved, right along the Mosel.  After showering we stopped in the cafe part, and noticed a case with beautiful-looking kuchen.  The young man working the place is also the baker.  Ellen had the apple, I had the rhubarb, and they were outstanding.  Well fortified, we walked into the center and over to the Bernkastel side which has most of the old town and was packed with tourists.  There are small river cruise ships that travel the Mosel and one was docked here.

The old section of Bernkastel is jammed with old and beautifully maintained buildings, many from the 1600s; along the riverfront is a huge Ferris wheel.