Punderich and Traben-Trarbach

Our second hotel was at Punderich, a small village on one of the many bends of the Mosel. Staying at another wine makers, Weingut Lenz, our room had a balcony overlooking the village and the vineyard on the hillside beyond the river which looked stunning at night.

)

This holiday we had planned to drive to each location and then not use the far for a few days making the most of public transport. Arriving at the village bus stop we were pleased to see others waiting, a good sign we had the time right, however once on the bus we had some confusion. 

Hubby asked for a return ticket but the driver would not take cash or either of our credit cards, we didn't really understand but presumed it need a debit card. As we turned to get of a lady on the bus shouted to us to stay on; we understood some of her explanations and worked out we could buy a ticket for 9 euros each that would give bus and local train travel for a month .... yes all of June and all of Germany. Hubby asked the driver for these tickets and he took cash, so confusing. 

Anyway we have discovered that this ticket is a help and incentive in Germany for June, July and August. It is 9 euro per month and you have to put your details on the ticket. It is to encourage people to use public transport and also help with higher petrol and living costs. 

Back to the bus, it was a lovely ride, nice that we could enjoy the scenery without concentrating on the road or the map. Traben-Trarbach is split across the Mosel and we got off in Traben which had a small cobbled street with vines growing overhead. Many of the shops were closed, we have noticed limited opening times and shop closures in Germany, presumably due to the difficulties we have all had in recent years. 

After a coffee we strolled up to the bridge, a beautiful structure with the iconic cone towers. It was built in 1899 and has rooms inside that are now used as the registry office. 

Around the time the bridge was built Traben-Trarbach was the second largest wine trading centre in Europe, the first being Bordeaux. With the demand for Reisling wine was high in the United Kingdom and overseas the Mosel river was ideal for transportation of wine from over 100 winemakers in the area. 

Crossing the bridge Trarbach stretched in from of us, mainly hotels and winemakers with flatter river banks. As with all the Mosel villages it was a beautiful location. 

It was a very warm day with the temperature rising to the mid thirties so we didn't wander far from the shade of the town and of course we needed refreshments. The cafe called with a super variety of cakes, just right for lunch! 

One reason for choosing Punderich for our hotel was the Pundericher Hangviaduck on the opposite bank. Our plan had been to walk a round circuit crossing the river on the small ferry boat, walking under this amazing structure, over the bridge at Reil and back along the Mosel ... but not in the high heat. 

Having the 9 euro ticket allowed us train travel too so instead of taking the bus back we took the train to Bullay and actually travelled on the viaduct. Built between 1872 and 1880 the viaduct is 786m long and is the longest hillside viaduct in Germany. It is 10m high and has 92 arches each of which span 7.2m with the pillars being 1.3m. It maybe everyday travel to locals but I loved our train journey, such a surprise too to be in the turn for a very short time and arriving on the other side of the Mosel, hopefully my map explains it. 

After the tunnel the train crosses another amazing structure, Doppelstockbruhe, a double decker bridge. The cars cross on the lower bridge and the trains above. After crossing the bridge by train we caught the bus back to Punderich and whilst at the bus stop I managed to get this great photo of a train going over and a boat on the river below.

Our evening at Weingut Lenz was a great treat, a wine tasting in their wine cellar. The cellar rooms were lovely and cool, perfect in the unusual high temperatures. Hubby and I expected a wine tasting with nibbles but it was a full table of cheese, hams, salami, bread and  dips, there was so much food (my photo is before the cheese and meat platters were added). The wines were all lovely but in honesty I didn't understand many of the differences as my German is very limited, it was a great evening.

Our second day was very hot, rising to 36 degrees. I am not good in heat and even Hubby found it a bit warm. We decided to go out early to the observation tower on the Prinzenkopt, Prince's Head. It is directly above the tunnel we travelled through the day before and is visable from our balcony. It is a memorial to those who died in conflict between 12th to 17th March 1945. It was originally a wooden structure but is now a metal observation tower that offers fantastic views over the Mosel.

My video shows just how far you can see and how much the Mosel meanders, some of the curves almost rejoin each other. 

Observation Tower video - https://youtu.be/KzcOiDHm1dM

As the weather was so hot we stayed in our room until it cooled in the evening. On the way back from the Observation Tower picked up supplies and enjoyed a buffet on our balcony in the shade. 

We had a lovely time in Punderich at Weingut Lenz, the outdoor seating area was lovely in the evenings. The winemakers wine was stored in a chiller from which guests could take a bottle, recording it on the form provided and so added to the room charge. A wine version of an honesty bar, very much enjoyed by all. 

I took this photo as we left, our room was the top right with the open window. We hadn't noticed the big wine press on the roadside opposite our hotel was one from Weingut Lenz, it was very impressive. 

After a super few days, dispute the intense heat it was time to move further up river to our next hotel.