Today is Friday. We finished our cycling tour on Wednesday and spent yesterday in Koblenz. Today is a travel day. We will take a train to Frankfurt airport and then a flight to Dublin. We didn't get much posted during our cycling trip. We had issues with WiFi access and when we did have access, we didn't have time.

Before I post some pictures, I have to give you some sense of riding the Moselle cycle path. Most of the people riding the trail are actually older than us. This is a relaxed place. People pedal along at a relaxed pace with a smile on their face stopping frequently at the many trail side cafes and restaurants. There are outdoor patios everywhere decorated with vines and beautiful flowers.The Moselle is all about white wine and enjoying life. There is mile after mile of vineyards and thousands of places to sample and buy wine. I had a preconception that German people would serious and reserved. What we found in the countryside and small villages is that the people were warm and friendly. We stayed at a number of small family-owned inns and were often served by two or three generations of the family. Family members sometimes ate on the outdoor patios and conversations were enthusiastic and punctuated with robust laughter.

Here are some photos from our first day.

The river with the vineyards on the hills. This is typical scenery. It is like this for miles and miles.

A cold drink at our first break.

Vineyards for miles and miles.

 Much of the trail is on paths beside the river and through fields of grape vines. However there are sections where the trail is beside the highway. I'm checking the map.

 Time to stop for a little break.

 Found someone to take our picture

This patio is at a vineyard. A place to stop and sample the local vine, which we did.

At our destination for the first night, our innkeeper suggested we walk up the hill on the opposite side of the river to have dinner at a restaurant perched on top of the hill. This is a view to the river and Trittenheim, where we are staying.

Another view from the hill.

Dinner on the patio at the top of the hill. Not a bad table eh? Worth the walk!

 Another view of the river and Trittenheim. It was a long walk to we took lots of pictures.

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