Up very early this morning, as we had to dress, pack, strip
the beds and get some breakfast. We
managed to be out of the hostel just after 7.30 to drag luggage up the hill to
the bus stop. Safely on the 8.20 train,
we could relax. The weather again was cold
and very close to drizzling, so it was nice to be in a warm train. Once out of Luxembourg and into Germany, the
German police came along to do passport checks – a first for us. They were very patient as we got our
suitcases down from the rack, unlocked them and rifled through to find the
passports (actually, we knew exactly where they were). The police asked us how long we were staying,
and I managed to answer in German.
Yay! Not long after this, we
crossed a massive river – the Mosel (in English (and French) it’s the Moselle).
Once we arrived in Cochem, we walked from the station. The Mosel, by the way, like every other river
we have seen in France, Belgium and Luxembourg, is running a banker. The jetties for the ships that operate on
this stretch of the river are isolated from the banks! Paths are underwater and there are many “high
water” signs.
Our accommodation is about a kilometre from the station, but
its easy walking. Despite not knowing
that we’d be arriving early, everything was ready for us. Our room is on the third floor (stairs only)
and is quite large. There’s a double
bed, a single bed, a small table and four chairs, one of which is a nice, comfy
armchair.
A separate bathroom and a balcony with views to the Mosel
are the icing on the cake.
Cochem is a pretty town of about 6000 people, with many
half-timbered houses...
...and some gorgeous cake shops!!
After a lunch of soup, bread and Apfelstrudel (for two of us,
anyway), we headed for the Sesselbahn (chairlift).
This goes up a hill behind Cochem and provides lovely views
over the town and the valley.
Once at the top, we walked to Pinnerkreuz where there is a
monument to a shepherd who long ago fell to his death.
We walked back into town to go on the tourist train. Caelli loves tourist trains. This one took us over the river to Cond,
which is basically a suburb.
After a hot chocolate, Caelli went home to rest whilst Phil
and I went shopping. Two tablecloths,
two belts, four postcards, one bag, one umbrella and a piece of cake later, we
headed home, too. It was nice to get out
of the cold. Top temp today and for the
next two days is 12 degrees. Yes,
12. It’s almost summer here! For tea we went to the closest schnitzel
place, which had good, simple food for a very reasonable price. Caelli had to have chips as they had nothing
for vegetarians. Once we got home again,
we tried the piece of cake we’d bought earlier.
Blueberry with meringue, it was very tart. Phil is still grimacing!
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