Distance: 36.3 kilometres
Time: 2 hours
Speed: 18.1 km/h
Ascent: 157 metres
Total distance: 242.4 kilometres
Total time: 14 hours 2 minutes
Word of the day: Ferienhausreinigungsenttäuschung holiday home cleaning disappointment
The Stoker writes:
Last night’s stay in Wintrich was … well, mind-blowing really! We relaxed after our long day, watching the end of the queen stage of the Tour de France and feeling quite done in! The combination of more kilometres than we’ve ridden in one go since 2024, and the heat really ramping up in the latter part of the ride had sapped our strength rather. Some deliciously cold water from the fridge, a cup of tea, and then a very long shower sorted it all out, though, and we were dressed and ready for dinner at the appointed hour. Our lovely (and immensely tall) waiter showed us to a shaded terrace.
We chose limoncello spritz aperitifs, served with frozen limoncello hand-made on the premises to be much less sweet than you’d usually expect, they were delicious. Our waiter helped us choose from the menu, and explained that we could also expect lots of extra nibbles and ‘surprises’ along the way.
It was incredible! We had nibbles with the aperitifs, and then at our table we were served three different extra tiny dishes with our first two glasses of wine from the area, some bread, another extra dish, and the finally the starters we’d each selected! It was all absolutely delicious, amazing flavours immensely well combined and beautifully presented. I think there was another bonus dish before the main courses, and more local wine, and then so many little dessert dishes I can’t remember them all! In discussion with our waiter we realised we had ridden through or near most of the vineyards whose wine we were served, which was brilliant.
One of the dishes was described before it arrived as a ‘handi’, which confusingly is the word Germans use for a mobile phone. So it was a relief when what did arrive was a tiny burger, with a thimble of beer. The waiter said the dish was a call back to before Markus Plein, the chef, took over the building for his new restaurant. It was previously a sort of fast food place serving, well, ‘handis’, so called because they are convenient and can be held in one hand.
We staggered back to our room after all that, and had to sit up digesting for a bit before we could lie down! It had been an amazing experience.
After an appropriately small breakfast this morning, we loaded up and pedalled off to find the campsite where we stayed in the motorhome, to see what it looked like in the summer. It was mobbed!
Nostalgia satisfied, we set off along the cycle path, amidst the vines as usual. It being Sunday there were enormous numbers of people cycling and walking in the lovely sunshine. A lot of them were still doing ‘Stern German Face’, though.
At Brauneberg we stopped to look at the high water markers (for which there is probably an incredibly long German word…). It was remarkable to see how high the water had reached at various points, the highest point in 1784 must have damaged much of the town. The Mosel looks so placid and serene, it’s hard to imagine it out of control and dangerously high.
Captain included for scale.
With only thirty-odd kilometres to do today, we were able to take it steady, enjoy the views of the river and the vineyards, and look forward to our rest day tomorrow. As we pootled along the river we started to see river cruise ships, day trip boats, and even at one spot a couple paddle-boarding across the river – they were making it look easy! No wetsuits, perhaps the water is warm.
We found a great little stop for a bum-rest and a drink, with its own vines. I tried a grape, which was horribly sour. I made the same face as when I tried a segment of my Mum’s minature oranges. Just like sucking a lemon!
As we got closer we started to see different signs for Traben and Trarbach, which was a surprise, but looking at both sides of the river it made sense, there was a little town on each side, connected by a bridge.
Our destination, Traben, was on the other side of the river, so we crossed the bridge, riding under a gate I now know to be the ‘Brückentor” (bridge tower), and found a little cafe to have a drink before our check-in time at the AirBnB. There was a brass band playing on the Trarbach side, the sound carried very clearly over to where we were.
Everything went smoothly with our check-in at the AirBnB, a very helpful chap in the garage where we were to park up the tandem showed us where the lift was, despite my not being able to remember the word for lift!
Him: (in German) can I help you with anything?
Me: (in less good German), yes, we are looking for the, um, I cannot remember the word in German, when one goes up in a, um… (grinds to a halt and points vaguely upwards)
Him: ah, a Fahrstuhl!
He also showed us where to do the recycling.
At that point, though, it all went a tiny bit pear-shaped. On entering the apartment it became quickly clear that no-one had been in to change the beds and towels or to clean it. Our host had been unsympathetically firm that we couldn’t come in until 3pm because the cleaner would be there, and it was well past that now. Fortunately one of the two bedrooms was untouched, so we can use that, and the previous tenants had left everything in very good order, but still, not good. Our host’s solution was to send the cleaner today (not appealing to be disturbed now we’ve arrived after a day in the saddle) or tomorrow (not keen to be disturbed tomorrow either, and a bit pointless as we’ve leaving the day after, and would have coped overnight by that point) – we have declined.
Anyway, we’re trying not be to too cross about it, and about our host’s rather matter-of-fact responses, and it is a lovely apartment with a balcony overlooking the river. And a bath! Which I have cleaned… Grrr…
Here’s today’s route:
…and a short video