Day 14 Traben-Trarbach to Monzel, 17 km

Grey day but the rain they’d been predicting all week had disappeared from the forecast when I got up this morning. I had breakfast in the hotel in my own private cafe. Definitely weird to be the only guest. Breakfast is pretty consistent across all the different kinds of lodgings. A basket with two or more different kinds of bread rolls - two today plus a croissant - a plate with sliced meat and cheese and maybe a few slices of cucumber or pepper. Today there were grapes. And then butter, jam, coffee and juice. Sometimes there is yoghurt (not today) and muesli. And they usually ask if you want a boiled egg. Today the egg just showed up. I forced myself to eat it, but normally I say no. When the breakfast is all laid out on your table — and not a buffet — I make a sandwich with the second roll to take for lunch.

The morning started with a climb up over the vines. Not terrible. And then a gorgeous descent into the town or maybe two towns of Bernkastel-Kues. I stopped for a coffee in a square where men were building a small house/kiosk/something for the Christmas market that starts next month. Just as I was leaving the square, it started to rain. Not hard but more than a drizzle. I stopped in at the tourist office for a stamp. They have an entire wall devoted to pamphlets and guides to walking and cycling routes.

Lots of people out walking today. Lots of dogs. Is this part more touristy? Was it because the town was a bit bigger? No idea. But as I was going down into the town, I passed a lot of people going up. And all day I saw people out with their dogs.

After I got my stamp, I crossed the bridge to the other side of the river just as it started to pour. So much for the optimistic weather forecast. But I finally pulled out my umbrella! I had needed it badly in Portugal last spring, so I brought it this time. Today it got me to a second coffee without ne getting drenched. I hung out in the bakery until the rain calmed down. About half an hour after I left the bakery, it had stopped altogether. And at some point the sun came out for a few minutes.

The afternoon was an easy walk that started along the river, went up into the vines, back down to the river, through another village, up to the vines and then into Monzel, where I am staying tonight at a very pilgrim-friendly room in someone’s house. There are guidebooks to all sorts of Camino routes, shells for sale, and her framed compostella is hanging in the hallway.

Fantastic dinner at a very simple local guesthouse with the best wine so far (blanc de noir, a white wine from Pinot noire grapes - I did not know this was a thing) and a really interesting schnapps made from walnuts. Wine and digestive both from their own fruit.

It is hard to describe just how much this area is defined by wine. Almost all of the businesses in the villages are wine stores or wine cafes or this afternoon I saw a Rieslinghotel (yup, all one word). There are huge, modern, style-y winery buildings and very old traditional ones. Most of the restaurants and guest houses seem to be attached to a winery or vineyard. When you walk through the villages and towns you pass wine stores and tasting rooms and displays of bottles. Of course I have no idea how the industry works, if these are small vineyards and companies in this area or big ones. Does all this wine find a home?

Today was the first day I saw a lot of people working in the vineyards. Sometimes 5 or 6 people working near each other, playing music. They were pruning off this year’s growth. Do they have to do that to all the vines? Or do they just do it to some? And how do they work on such steep slopes?

I just looked at the photos I took today. They are really all the same: big hill, some expanse of coloured vines, maybe the river. It is constantly spectacular.

Tomorrow the forecast is for rain. And quite a lot of it! But only 19 km. And tomorrow night I stay at a winery!Read more