Saturday, October 11, 2014

Bernkastel-Kues

Another family invasion approaches as my parents will be meeting us in Rome on Sunday.  To save money on parking and assure we make our early flight out of Frankfurt-Hahn, we booked a room at Zum Morschbach near the airport.  The hotel provides free shuttle services and have extended parking at no additional cost (requires a one night stay in their hotel).  Our stay cost €45 and the shuttle guarantees an early arrival time to relieve any potential stress.  The airport parking lots charge €9.50/day or €49.50/week and since we live an hour from the airport the decision was easy.  Also, we had the opportunity to explore another city in Germany.

View of Bernkastel-Kues from bridge
View of Mosel from bridge

We wanted to return to the Mosel Valley wine region after our last visit - when we traveled to Burg Eltz, Beilstein, and Cochem.  After checking into Zum Morschbach, we drove along the Mosel River towards our destination, Bernkastel-Kues.  The Autobahn may have saved us time, but the Mosel Valley is scenically superior to the highway and allowed us to look for potential restaurants for dinner on our return trip.

Main Square
Mittelalterlicher Marktplatz
Building in Marktplatz

Bernkastel-Kues is a small town in the Middle Mosel near the heart of the German wine region.  Similar to Cochem and Beilstein, the city has a historical center that could be the setting of a fairy tale.  The main attractions are Mittelalterlicher Marktplatz (Medieval Market) and Spitzhäuschen (Little Pointed House).  These two locals are very close to each other, approximately 30 meters separate the two.  In addition to these sites, we spent the afternoon walking the whole city - visiting shoppettes and admiring the lovely architecture surrounding us.

Rathaus
Spitzhäuschen
View from Spitzhäuschen

Restaurant near vineyard
Outdoor cafe
Painting on side of building

We ended the day with a stop at a restaurant alongside the Mosel River.  The view was pristine, although, halfway through our meal a small rain shower brought in some unwanted clouds.  Fortunately, we remained dry while eating under a covered porch and when the rain subsided, a full rainbow spanned the sky over the river.  A delightful end to our second visit of the Mosel Valley, but we were ready for the warm weather foretasted in Italy.

Up next, a week touring Rome, Florence, and Venice.

Half-timbered home
Vineyard in the backyard
Fountain in front of Rathaus
View from our table at dinner
Just after the rain stopped
Full rainbow



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