Our river ship, the River Queen set sail from Trier, on Sunday June 18, 2017, at 1:00p.m. and arrived in Bernkastel, Germany at 9:00p.m. and will remain in port overnight. We began Monday, June 19, 2017, with a village walking tour. Our guide, Marita is the daughter of a winemaker and she lives in the town of Kues, which is directly across the Moselle River from Bernkastel.
She points out the old Roman fortress on top of a hill, overlooking both Bernkastel and Kues. The half-timbered Spitzhausche - the town's most photographed building, was built in 1416. Its ground floor is much narrower than the upper floors, which gives it a wobbly look. There are many medieval and historical things to see and know about Bernkastel-Kues, but the most important is the renowned Moselle wine region and the most labor intensive steep vineyards in the world.
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| Quaint streets and charming Bernkastel street |
Bernkastel has the steepest sloping vineyards in the Mosel’s winegrowing, with a nearly 50% grade. It’s also prized for its “Bernkasteler Lay” soil; a slate and blue shale mixture that’s heavier than the soil dominating the surrounding areas. The region’s Bernkasteler Doktor vineyard, is so named because a sip of its Riesling supposedly cured the Archbishop of Trier from a life-threatening illness in the 13th century. And it is often considered to be the greatest vineyard in Germany. The vineyards are so steep that the vineyard workers operate a wired trolley system to transport grapes at harvest.
About J. Christina:
J. Christina is the author and hobbyist photographer behind Scribbles and Smiles, writing a personal travel blog from the Midwest. Christina (Christie) is married to John, a.k.a. Mr. Christie. Where Mr. Christie is right on-board with their travel jaunts around the world - sharing in their blogging endeavors. He supports, encourages, handles gadgetry and embraces the role of in-house editor - hence, their bespoke pen name, J. Christina.
J. Christina’s blogging journey began before the word blog was trending, writing about European travel destinations on share-sites, forums and online journals. After many years of intrepid travel, they thoughtfully opened their treasure-trove of European travelogues, artfully sharing with a worldwide audience. Intentionally sharing the joie de vivre through their words and images, so others can travel vicariously. J. Christina believes smiling with your eyes is a beautiful thing.
You can read their most recent dispatches from aboard an elegant European river ship, sharing the allure of Europe’s great rivers and their capital cities. Or, follow them through serendipitous discoveries in the Cote d’Azur, where J. Christina captures the essence of a perched medieval village.
J. Christina’s work has been featured on France Today, Bonjour Paris, The Good Life France, and Perfectly Provence.
J. Christina’s blogging journey began before the word blog was trending, writing about European travel destinations on share-sites, forums and online journals. After many years of intrepid travel, they thoughtfully opened their treasure-trove of European travelogues, artfully sharing with a worldwide audience. Intentionally sharing the joie de vivre through their words and images, so others can travel vicariously. J. Christina believes smiling with your eyes is a beautiful thing.
You can read their most recent dispatches from aboard an elegant European river ship, sharing the allure of Europe’s great rivers and their capital cities. Or, follow them through serendipitous discoveries in the Cote d’Azur, where J. Christina captures the essence of a perched medieval village.
J. Christina’s work has been featured on France Today, Bonjour Paris, The Good Life France, and Perfectly Provence.
Continue to travel with J. Christina as we set sail for Boppard and Rüdesheim,Germany this afternoon.
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