May 24th, 2018 – Day Nine – Worms to Klotten

May 24^th, 2018 – Day Nine – Worms to Klotten

How nice not to be really rushed!  Check out is at ten, though, so we can’t dawdle too much.  We get everything packed up and stop by reception to turn in our papers and thank them for all the extra attention to detail, and the directions and ease of locating the key.

Breakfast is like most others, with the addition of tiny baby shrimp and thin strips of ham (?) in a sauce similar to tzaziki sauce.  And the coffee pot is already on the table for us.  Interesting decoration note – there is a scull suspended from the ceiling!  It goes with the theme as show on the sign.  Of course, they are right on the Rhine River, so it makes sense!

We clean our plates, put our things in the car, drop off the key, and take our cameras outside to sit by the river.  This is an industrial part of  town, so it isn’t very scenic;  but it feels so good to just sit and rest a while.  There is a bird building a nest! Actually, there is a pair of them.   One brings the twigs and branches, and the other does the construction!

And away he goes!

It’s time to hit the road and see if the path we’ve chosen actually works!  The lady at the desk seemed to this it would.  But she might not have really understood what I said!  She has a large, old beagle who is sleeping – and snoring – on a mat in the office!

We find all the entrances and exits we’re looking for!  We’ve decided that it is always better to take an autobahn rather than take a chance on unknown roadways.  We’ve learned a lot about the signage;  but we didn’t know there would be construction on the route we’ve chosen.  Still, we know where we are and where we’re going, and we don’t have a curfew today!

The last stretch of the trip is on a little two-lane road through some typical little towns!  So cute.  We pass through Cochem, as planned, and are in Klotten quite quickly. 

So many windmills, all over the country!

Each of the five lanes has it own message.  The numbers are speed limits in kpm.  When there is no posted speed limit, there really is no speed limit, unless you're a truck!

Lots and lots and lots of grapevines!

Aren't these pretty!

Cochem is so adorable!

Here's our first view of the Mosel River.

There seems to be road construction everywhere, now that winter is over.

We seem to have missed a street, so we stop at the TI and get a map of town,  (all three east-west roads of it) and located Gasthause Castor.  There doesn’t seem to be any parking on these teeny tiny little roads, so Marilyn stays in the car while I go up to the door.  There are two doors.  Both are locked.  I ring the bell and no one answers.  Just as I’m about to cry “Uncle” a gentleman comes to the door.  His English is about as good as my German;  but we communicate and he opens a gate to the parking area.  We fit right in!

Those gray doors open onto our parking area, for which we're very grateful!

He’s awfully cute, telling us that his wife is the one who speaks English and that they have spent time in Florida and Hawaii and San Francisco!  He even has souvenirs to prove it!

The house is huge, with 21 rooms!  And we’re the only guests tonight!  We can have breakfast any time we want it in the morning!

After depositing our things in our big room, with the adjoining separate WC and shower room, we go exploring Klotten.  The main street faces the Mosel River and among its other offerings there are at least three wineries!  The first is closed, but the second is open and the proprietress is very happy to pour whatever we’d like to try, for free!  Her husband makes the wines and they are only sold here in their store.  And they are superb!! We buy several bottles – of course!!  Now we just have to carry it back up the hill to our room!  I’ll worry about packing it all in a couple of weeks!!

Our new favorite winery

Just across the street is a pizza place!! The owner is Italian and his napkins have Italian – German equivalent phrases!  And the menu is a mix of German and Italian!  We select a Quattro Formaggi pizza to share and it arrives on two separate plates, each dressed with grated cheese and he pours olive oil liberally to finish the presentation.  Bur first, there’s the question of drinks.  Marilyn asks for a sweet Mosel white wine.  He goes away with asking what I’d like, an returns with two glasses and a carafe!  I was actually going to have whatever beer was on draft!  He laughs and says (I think) well, that’s okay, she can have it all!  He brings me a draft beer that I think is Bitsburg.  It’s good.  He also brings us hot little bits of toasty bread and the most fantastic butte!  It’s kind of orange and filled with bits of, er, something that makes it delicious!  When we run out of bread we put it on our pizza crusts!

We practice our Italian to his delight and when he brings the bill, he’s just written the amount we each owe on a piece of paper!  Very laid back!  If I lived here, I’d come once a week!!   The last thing we receive is a tiny glass with the special “cocktail” prepared by the “patrone”!  It’s frothy and make with pineapples!  YUM!

Our drinks - thanks, Marilyn, for these three phone photos!

 

Back home, the frau has arrived home from work.  She is from the Phillippines!  And speaks much better English than her husband.  We have a lovely chat and, after getting the internet passwork, retire to blog and shower and all that nighttime stuff!