I start in Trier, right by the world-famous Porta Nigra, one of the many UNESCO cultural sites in Germany's oldest city. The first stage leads a little way into the Eifel, where it shares the path with the long-distance Eifelsteig hiking trail. A high trail along the edge of the slope high above the river and through dense forests leads me to Schweich. Now I shorten a few stages and look forward to a ride on the Moselle railway. I'm quickly in Bullay, a small Moselle village with a few cosy winegrowers' taverns, a lovely riverside promenade, a tiny village centre with a fantastic bakery and the statue for the "Brautrock wine", as the grapes of the noble drop are called here. Perfect to relax! You don’t need to go far here, because everything is centrally located at Lindenplatz. After a long first day of hiking and a good sip of grape juice, I fall asleep contentedly. In Bullay it is also really peaceful at night, because the road along the banks of the Moselle runs along the other side of the river.
And because it's so cosy in Bullay and I like to spare myself the trouble of packing my suitcase, I do a rpund trip the next day. So I get to spend another night in Bullay. The hiking day is all the more impressive and eventful for it! In the morning, I take the Moselweinbahn, a branch line that runs through one of the narrowest Mosel loops, through tunnels and over viaducts to the Art Nouveau town of Traben Trarbach, to the start of the hike. A spectacular climb through a ruined fortress leads me to the Kirster Grat, an alpine-like high trail, and on via high trails and vineyards to Reil. The Prinzenkopf tower offers fantastic views over the narrow ridge of land between the river bends, which is only a few hundred metres wide here! There you have the feeling of being completely surrounded by the river. A wonderful impression! Over the double-decker bridge (train above, car/pedestrian below) I reach Bullay again. And then the leisurely part of the day awaits: a wine tasting of the best Moselle wines. Simply wonderful!
