Day 7 got off to a great start with what my hotel called a “French sekt breakfast”. I’ve no idea what was French about (not a croissant or a baguette in sight), but as soon as I sat down and poured myself a coffee, the owner arrived with a glass of his excellent sekt. I’m not big on drinking at such an early hour, but I didn’t want to offend him and, to be honest, one glass didn’t adversely affect my hiking.
The two German guys from the day before were also at breakfast. They told me it was the last day of their three-day hike and they were heading home that evening.
I set off at around 8:30. Leiwen had been a great place to stay and it would be worth coming back one day with an empty car to stock up on the local wines.
Even though there was a chill in the the air when I set off, it was clearly going to be another beautiful day. And with just 15 or so kilometres to cover to Neumagen-Dhron, it was going to be a much easier day than the previous one.
On the way out of Leiwen I passed a house that was either that of a serious hoarder or the local cardboard recycling centre.
The trail entered the vineyards and that was the start of a long, steady 300-metre ascent that took me past a number of remarkable spots.
First was the Josefsberg chapel, high on a ridge above Leiwen. It contained a memorial to all those from the village who had fallen in the Second World War on the different fronts. The list of those who had died in Russia and on the eastern front was almost 3 times as long as the one listing those who lost their lives in the west. The combined lists must have represented a large percentage of the adult male population of the village at the time.
The trail continued to climb, offering me magnificent views back over the vineyards and the chapel.
I took a longish stop to avoid arriving at my accommodation too early at the so-called Moselkino (Moselle Cinema), a spot with a great view of the valley where a wooden structure had been set up to resemble a cinema screen, complete with recliner benches for people to take in the view. A beautiful movie, but I prefer mine with a little more action!
There were a lot more people about today, this being a Sunday, and as I reached the day’s highest point I began to see lots of families with children. The reason soon became apparent as there was a sort of nature park with enclosures filled with deer that was clearly the ideal Sunday outing for local families.
The trail then descended to what was supposedly the most beautiful view of the Moselle vineyards, according to a popular vote. Above all, there was a huge car park with crowds of people taking selfies and pictures of the valley. Quite frankly, the view wasn’t anything special after the one from the tower the day before and, a couple of kilometres further on, at a spot called Vogelsang, there was so much better view. But it obviously didn’t get the popular vote as it was impossible to reach by car.
While I was resting there, the two German guys from the hotel caught up with me. We had a quick chat, but I can’t really say about what. Because I had begun talking to them in German, however basic and halting, they presumed that I knew the language fluently and rattled on while I simply grinned and nodded!
I had a longish rest at this spot before setting off again and, after kilometre or so, I found the German guys again, who also having a rest. This time I managed to understand that the sekt that we had been served by the hotel owner in Leiwen was better than the stuff served at a reception that one of the two guys had attended at Schloss Bellevue in Berlin, the residence of the German president!
After the two guys vacated the bench, I took another rest as it was still way too early to arrive at my accommodation. All that was left to do was the gradual descent back down to the valley through the vineyards (spotting two deer along the way), a descent that ended at the Märtyrer Chapel just outside Neumagen-Dhron.
The last section into Neumagen-Dhron was unfortunately at the side of a very busy road. It then joined the Moselle cycle track before finally veering off to follow the riverbank to the village. I walked much further than necessary to kill time and to try spot a restaurant for dinner. After I stopped at the local bakery for a cup of tea and a slice of cake, it was finally 3 PM, the official time for checking in at my accommodation. Even so, when I turned up, the owner told me that she was surprised to see me so soon! The guest house was absolutely perfect with a huge room and a very comfortable bed. The owner was a very sweet lady who spoke nice and slowly so I could understand every word she said.
Neumagen-Dhron was an interesting little place, the oldest wine village in Germany. The Romans used to transport wine down the river to Trier at the time when that city was a key outpost of the Empire. There were numerous Roman gravestones dotted around the town, including one of a bear crushing a wild boar. This was from the tomb of an important wine dealer who apparently crushed his competitors. It had originally been found in three pieces and modern additions replaced the missing parts.
The village also had Germany’s smallest wine bar, which was unfortunately closed on Sundays. Even so, there were plenty of places to eat and drink: every wine-grower seemed to have a restaurant attached to their sales outlet. As in so many other wine-growing areas in Europe, the presence of vineyards had a very beneficial effect on the local cuisine and, once again, I had an excellent dinner (but no black pudding this time!).
Footsteps 