It’s only been two weeks since I took my Cali on my first camping trip. Three days, where I enjoyed myself at a campsite in the middle of the country. And although it was only the beginning of April, it looked like summer with an abundance of sunshine. The temperature on the first day even exceeded twenty degrees. Not bad!

Those three days – or rather two and a half – flew by far too quickly. What could be better, than getting back on the road. With Easter coming up, I decided to take Good Friday off. That means that I can now travel for no less than four full days. Where the first trip was in my own ‘little country’ (the Netherlands), now I am planning to go abroad. I didn’t have to think long about my next destination. My beloved France is too far away for such a short period of time. For the same reason, Denmark is also out of the question, I would be driving two out of four days to get there and back. Belgium is certainly an option. It’s completely different from the Netherlands, very nice and close. The coastal region of our southern neighbors would bring me back to, among other things, the beautiful city of Bruges where I had the opportunity to stay for a while years ago. Even though this was more than thirty years ago, thinking about this city always brings a smile to my face. Another option in Belgium is the equally beautiful Ardennes. A hilly landscape with nice rivers for canoeing, old villages with attractive terraces to drink a beer and an abundance of restaurants that fully shows the Burgundian lifestyle that Belgium is known for. So, is it going to be Belgium? If not now, then certainly soon. Eventually I decide to go to another beloved region of mine. One where a river meanders through the landscape. With steep hills on both sides with countless vines. Slopes that are sometimes so steep that the grape harvest must be done manually because machines would just slide down. Where on top of the hills you can still see completely intact castles, interspersed with ruins that tell of a rich past. Villages with houses in the traditional ‘half-timbered style’. With a wine shop in every street that welcomes you with open arms to come and taste the local wines (with of course the hope that you not only taste them, but that you also walk out with a box – or several – of this divine drink). And then I haven’t even mentioned the many restaurants where you can still enjoy the local food in an affordable way. Or the endless cycle paths that follow the meandering of the river over a length of more than a hundred kilometres. The longer I think about it, the more I come to the conclusion that this is the area I am going to visit in the coming days. The first foreign destination will therefore be Germany. To be more precise: the Moselle area. With an almost countless amount of motorhome and camping pitches to choose from, another nice challenge.

As a child, I never went on holiday. I’ll spare you the reason for this, but holidaying, either close to home or abroad, was something I only got to experience when I grew older. Yet this is not entirely true: as a ten-year-old, we apparently once settled down in the village of ‘Ernst’ at the Moselle for a few days in the summer. The only memory I have of this (or rather, what I heard from my mother and sister later in life) was that this so-called holiday was not really a success. Something that had nothing to do with the chosen environment. Despite this bad experience, this region has always held an attraction for me. As an eighteen-year-old youngster, I revisited the Moselle with a friend of mine. And over the many years that followed, I regularly returned there. Villages and towns such as Trier (with the beautiful Porta Nigra), Bernkastel-Kues (with the narrow streets and equally narrow traditional houses), Traben-Trarbach (with its famous Jugendstil architecture) … It’s like they one by one came from a fairytale book. Yet for me there is one place that I am particularly attracted to, and that is the old city Cochem. A city, or rather a small town, with an equally small population of roughly six thousand inhabitants. Where does this attraction stem from? Is it because as a ten-year-old, I could almost see Cochem from the village of Ernst where we were staying? Or because of the romantic Reichsburg castle build in the twelfth century (destroyed in 1689 and rebuild in 1868) that proudly towers over Cochem? The nice streets, restaurants, squares? Or all of the above? Anyway, when I think of the Moselle, the first image that comes to mind is this nice old town. So it is more than logical that my first visit with my Cali will take me to this city. That’s called, very close to Cochem, since I want to be right on the Moselle with my campervan, which is possible in the nearby Bruttig-Fankel. A small village about eight kilometres (by bike) from Cochem. And since I plan to cycle a lot, this short distance is no problem at all. The only thing that can throw a spanner in the works is the weather forecast. Because, how beautiful the weather was during my camper trip two weeks ago, now the predictions are that it will rain ‘cats and dogs’. That won’t stop me from exploring the bike paths, so I’ll for sure get wet as I don’t want to wear a rain suit. To be honest, if and when I get wet, it combines well with drinking a delicious Moselle wine: wet on the outside, then also wet on the inside… carpe diem!

Nothing is more relaxing – at least for me – than knowing that when I go to bed and get up tomorrow morning, I can go on a wonderful trip. The stress that people sometimes have prior to a holiday is completely foreign to me. Have we bought and brought everything we need? Did we pack sufficient – and the right – clothes with us in case it gets colder, warmer or rainier than expected? Do we have all travel documents (passport, tickets, copy of insurances) at hand? Is there enough to eat and drink for when we hit the road? A thousand and more things go through the heads of people, ensuring that the start of the trip is mostly far from relaxed. On the contrary, it provides stress that ensures that the first few days can hardly be enjoyed. Fortunately, I do not have this ‘problem’. I think this has everything to do with the fact that – since I started my working life – I have travelled a lot. My first working years took me to all kinds of places around the world. Whereby, when I had just arrived back home, I could pack my suitcase again to get on the plane to the next destination. There were years when I spend more time in and on planes, taxis and hotels than that I was at home. Hence preparing and carrying out trips had become my second nature. This frequent travelling ensured that I did not worry anymore about preparing for a holiday or business trip. Which didn’t mean that I didn’t forget anything. However, experience taught me that almost everything could be arranged (either bought or borrowed) on the spot. I have only experienced twice that a passport was forgotten, which was only discovered at the airport. And then not forgotten by myself, but by a travel companion. The first time, the local police were able to arrange a temporary travel document at the airport. Which allowed us to set off with a short delay. The second time – at an airport abroad – that didn’t work out. We were forced to return back home, as we were logically not allowed to board the plane. Whereupon I booked a new flight so that we could still go on holiday.

In short, ‘holiday stress’ is not a word that you will find in my dictionary. And especially not now that I have this campervan. Because let’s be honest: the only thing I have to do this morning before leaving, is to load the fridge, slide a bag with clothes and towels into the tailgate and then… I’m ready to hit the road. Last night I had already sent the travel destination via the ‘California App’ to my Cali. Talking about efficiency, this is a very handy feature (my previous car had it as well, so not so much an improvement to what I had before, but still very convenient)! It’s just under two hundred and fifty kilometers between my home address and the holiday destination. A good three hours’ drive on this first trip abroad. And again, being on the road, I realize how relaxed it is to drive the Cali. With a pace of 100 kilometers per hour I slowly ‘descend’ to the south-east. Gradually I leave the urban area behind me and see the landscape becoming more and more hilly. With here and there a steep ‘climb’, for which the Cali shrugs its shoulders. With its more than twenty-six hundred kilos of weight, it may not be a lightweight, but the combination of the petrol and electric motor ensures that no hill or mountain is too steep. And not that I need it now, but the four-wheel drive will also be very useful sooner or later. Especially if I ever end up on a somewhat soggy surface with my Cali. Will this also be the case on the always damp Moselle riverbank? The campsite I am going to visit has been flooded regularly in the past. Located right on the banks of this beautiful river, all it takes is heavy rainfall during the season, and the campsite suddenly becomes a small lake. Fortunately, it has rained very little lately, so I don’t have to worry about flooding.

The famous saying goes ‘you get what you deserve’. As mentioned, the weather forecast was not too good. It would not be very cold, but it would be rainy. Well, then I think I’ve deserved bad weather. Too bad for the bike rides I have planned. But then walking, reading and writing will get me through the time anyway. On my way to the Moselle, I regularly turn on the windshield wipers. So far, it’s luckily not the predicted ‘cats and dogs’ type of rain. However, dry is different! The closer I get to my final destination, the drier it gets. Would that imply that I deserve good weather? Who knows. Nevertheless, when approaching the town of Cochem, I actually see a very small piece of blue sky between the heavy cloud cover. Would I be lucky after all? As I drive onto the campsite it is completely dry. It turns out to be a ‘traditional Moselle campsite’ by the way: a wide strip of grass with several small lanes in between, sandwiched between the Moselle on the one hand and the main road on the other. A road that is connected to the river from Trier to Koblenz, like Siamese twins. It’s situated at one point along the left bank, then it hops over a bridge to go to the right bank. And back again, many, many times. But always within sight distance of this beautiful meandering river. Unfortunately, the place where I have to place my campervan is not looking out over the Moselle, but is situated very close to the road. A road on which a considerable amount of (especially tourist) traffic passes by all day long. That’s going to be something when I want to sleep tonight, because the distance between my ‘bed’ and the road is only about twenty meters as the crow flies. And then I also sleep high-up in my campervan, so exactly at ‘traffic level’. In French they call this ‘on verra’, or in plain English: we’ll see what this will bring. Otherwise, the campsite looks simple but neat, with a large and clean shower and toilet block. Since I didn’t bring my Porta Potti (my mobile toilet), I’m glad that I’m not situated too far from this building. Whether it’s age or not (I won’t say too much about it), toilet visits seem to be necessary on a regular basis more and more. With three and a half hours of driving behind me, and a watch that indicates that it is almost one o’clock in the afternoon, my stomach starts to complain about a lack of food. And as if the Germans knew that I would be hungry, let there be an ‘Imbiss’ van just at the entrance of the campsite. In other words, a stall with delicious German sausages and fries. I can’t imagine a better start to this short German holiday! After installing the Cali, I therefor hurry quickly in the direction of this stall to feast on this goodness. How good life is at these moments! 

Because it is still early in the afternoon and it is not raining against all expectations, I lift my ‘steel steed’ (a Dutch nickname for a bicycle) from the bicycle carrier to make a first trip. What could be better than visiting picturesque Cochem just eight kilometers away. On the way to the campsite I had driven through the town, but with the busy traffic I was hardly able to enjoy the surroundings. With the bike, this is no problem at all. I have all the possibilities to look around whilst driving. If I had thought that by buying a campervan, I would miss a car to explore the environment: not at all. To be honest, I can easily cover between one hundred and three hundred kilometers with my electric mountain bike (equipped with two heavy battery packs). The last distance (three hundred) applies when the road is almost flat. The mentioned one hundred kilometers is when there is a mountain like the Mont Ventoux on the ride, something I experienced last year. Now I know that a mountain like the Ventoux is an exception to the rides I normally take. So on a single battery, one hundred and fifty kilometers is no problem at all. And the only eight kilometers to Cochem therefor certainly not, as the cycle path is almost as flat as a billiard cloth. And I must hand it to the Germans, the cycle paths along the Moselle are perfectly laid out. Separated from normal traffic so that you can enjoy every bike ride without risking your own life.

Cochem with it’s beautiful castle on the hilltop

When I arrive in Cochem, it is still cold outside (about seven degrees Celsius), but the sun is making frantic attempts to break through the cloud cover. So every reason to make this ‘Good Friday’ before Eastern a real very good Friday. What better way to do that than by looking for a terrace and ordering a delicious cup of coffee, followed by a white Moselle wine. And to see the horde of tourists walking by on the promenade, while I quietly observe this crowd of people whilst sipping my wine. Nothing more fun than watching people passing by, even when you’re on your own like I am on this trip. Or better said, not ‘even’ when you’re alone, but ‘specifically’ when alone, because nothing distracts you from observing. Almost nothing, because that wine also needs attention. After an hour, I’ve done enough observing, and I go for a stroll through the narrow streets of Cochem. This old town with its traditional buildings is in one word ‘fabulous’. After half an hour of strolling, I decide to return to the campsite, which is already starting to fill up with mainly mobile homes. Mobile homes of all shapes, sizes and ages. The most eye-catching of all, is an ancient and beautifully ‘mother of all campervans’: a Volkswagen T1 with the characteristic split windscreen. Furthermore, I see what I would call ‘normal campers’ of the ‘semi/half-integrated type’. And quite a few oversized ‘full integrals’, looking more like a mobile castle than a mobile home. But then, everyone chooses the mobile home of her or his liking (and wallet). My Cali is the only one of the ‘new California’ type. Not surprising, since this model has only been on the road for about two months now. I have yet to encounter the first other new Cali. So far, mine is unique. I must admit that this is quite a special feeling. A feeling that I should enjoy while it lasts, because I have the impression (or better said, I know) that a lot of ‘new Californias’ have been sold over the past months. With that, it’s going to be even more beautiful on the roads and campsites!

A variety of mobile homes on the campsite in Bruttig-Fankel

It’s been quite an eventful day. The long drive, installing at the campsite, cycling and wining in Cochem and back to the campsite again. A good start of this ‘mini holiday’. The only thing I’m going to do now I’m back at the campsite, is to cut a piece of cheese, open a bottle of wine and then subsequently heat up the meal I brought with me. And then I’ll go to bed quite early. Because to be honest, I am – as it is so nicely called – ‘quite tired but satisfied’. If the traffic doesn’t rage too much tonight, it will be a good night’s sleep. As said, ‘on verra’…

This first night at the campsite. I slept very well and was not bothered by the noise of the traffic at all. Because I went to bed at half past nine and I normally sleep about six to seven hours a night, I wake up at five o’clock. After some dozing, I finally decide to get up at seven. And what do you do first? Right, you grab your percolator and make a very strong cup of coffee. Before I started looking for this camper, I had never heard of a ‘percolator’. It must be a lack of my upbringing or lack of general knowledge. But at home I have always had an electric coffee maker and at the campsite I used the traditional coffee bags with ground beans until now. Boil water, throw it in the coffee bag with the ground beans and refill the water regularly. And voila, after a short while you have several delicious cups of coffee. At least, if you don’t accidentally knock it over. Because then – and unfortunately as I’m pretty clumsy I did this many times – the cleaning-up takes far more time than making the coffee. But back to the percolator: until now, I had never heard of that thing. I can still see myself standing in the store with the box of the percolator in my hand, looking in vain for the manual. Fortunately, the internet offered the answer for my lack of knowledge. And it turns out to be very easy. You put some water in the small container at the bottom, put coffee in the container above, screw on the top and put the whole thing on a hob. You then turn on the hob and again ‘voila‘, after a couple of minutes the coffee is ready. Actually, it’s even easier than fiddling with that coffee filter. And this might be my imagination, it’s tastier too! So in no time I enjoy my cup of coffee from the percolator. All that remains now is to prepare breakfast. That is, not as much preparing, but heating up last night’s excess dinner. This for sure will lay a solid foundation for the long cycling and walking that I’ve planned for today.

Beforehand I had looked at whether it is possible to go from my camping in Bruttig-Fankel to ‘Burg Eltz’ by bike. If I were to follow the Moselle cycling path, it would be approximately thirty-five kilometers. Mostly completely flat, because the cycle route was right next to the Moselle. It will be a lot shorter if I take a short cut. Google maps indicated that I could be there within twenty-seven kilometers. So I decide to take the short route to go to the ‘Burg’ and the longer one back. Well, I soon find out that the short-cut route is indeed shorter. But the first part is also very steep. Maybe not a wise choice to do this climbing after a heavy breakfast. As returning is not an option for me, I put my teeth together and continue this road. And to be honest, I also switch the electric support two positions higher, such that I ‘conquer’ this steep hill in a relaxed way. To finally descend again and to arrive to the town of Treis (or is it a village?) via real hairpin bends. Not a bad decision after all to take this route, as the landscape is breath taking. From Treis, I continue the flat cycle path to the Moselkern village (and this is certainly a village, since it is really small). If I thought it would be a piece of cake to get to Burg Eltz from here, I’m disappointed. Because the only way to get here, is to again follow a step road glued to the hill that I see on the left-hand side. With equally as many hairpin bends as before.  Pfff, again a very steep climb, again with extra support from the electric bike. When I arrive at the top, a surprise awaits me. Or actually not so much of a surprise, because I already know what I will see here: an immeasurably large and flat ‘plateau’ with nothing but farmland. It is almost impossible to comprehend that the Moselle has carved such a deep gorge in all those years. The contrast between where I am now, and that lovely Moselle ‘down there’, could hardly be larger. 

After about an additional twelve kilometers I finally arrive at Burg Eltz. Or at least, that’s what I hoped. Because where I thought I would be allowed to ride close to the Burg with the bike, I am disappointed. I have to leave the bike at the first parking lot, to descend to the Burg by foot via a path of more than a kilometer. Yes, descending! Because unlike almost all castles I know, Eltz is not located on a hilltop, but in a valley. It is a valley that is so inaccessible that the castle has never been overpowered and plundered in all those past centuries. Amazing when you think about it!

Burg Eltz

I have visited the Burg already several times in my life, yet it gives me goosebumps every time I pass the last bend of the hiking trail. In front of me stands this stately castle in all its splendor! And the great thing is that it is still inhabited. At least part of the castle. The whole is still privately owned, but fortunately the owners in all their wisdom have decided to open most of it to visitors. The fact that the many tourists also bring in extra money will certainly have played a role in their decision. Because I can’t imagine in any way how much money must be involved in living in – and maintaining – such a huge castle. And that it is well maintained is a fact: the castle looks as if it was built yesterday, very impressive!

Despite the fact that I have joined the guided tour during my previous visits, I also join this time. Because I am there early in the morning, I only have to wait five minutes. The young guide is not only very knowledgeable, with his enthusiastic storytelling style he manages to captivate the whole group for forty-five minutes. And if I thought I already knew everything: when asked, the guide told me that a full knight’s armor on display in the castle, with all amenities, is almost sixty kilos in weight. Knowing that at the time the men were only 1.60 meters tall and poorly fed (meals consisted mainly of bread and beer, both for children and adults), it is pretty special that the ‘knights’ could carry that weight of armor. Or ‘carrying’: they were put in harness and hoisted onto a horse, only to be torpedoed off again via jousting. To be honest, I don’t know if being a knight was that much fun in those days. In any case, no one, not even the knights, lived very long. Again, not in the least because of that poor nutrition… Another interesting fact also has to do with the limited length of the people at the time: all doors and entrances were designed for the limited height of the residents. I may not be the tallest man on earth with my 1.81 meters, but you have to be careful when you go from one room to another. This time I didn’t hit my head, but previous times I was less careful. All in all, the reunion with Burg Eltz is again unforgettable. Knowing myself, it certainly won’t be my last visit. Burg Eltz, till we meet again… 

If there is an outward journey, there is eventually a return journey. But before I’m back at where my bicycle is parked, I still must walk that one kilometer up-hill. Quite a climb. And to know that I then still must cycle another thirty-five kilometers back to the campsite… The positive fact is that now I only have to descend to the Moselle, and from there follow the flat cycle path along the river. So off I go. That cycling makes you thirsty is well known to anyone who cycles regularly. So on my way back to my camping place, what could be better than having a cool wine on a terrace like I did yesterday in Cochem. However, I am disappointed: the weather is nice and Cochem is by now flooded by large hordes of tourists. Around me, I hear all kinds of languages spoken and the many number plates of the cars testify to a multitude of nationalities. But no empty chair on the terrace for me, no matter how I where I look. So this means straight back to the campsite. Arriving there, I decide to take a warm shower to wash off the beautiful and long bike ride, and I make my own terrace around the Cali: with white wine (not the German Moselle wine but a good glass of ‘Pas si Vite’ Chardonnay), cheese and sausage; what more could a person wish for (except for that missed terrace at Cochem). Tonight all that remains is for me to eat in a local Bruttig’s restaurant, read a bit and then go to sleep. What a wonderful day this was, with the many activities and impressions. I could get used to it… just a few more years and – if and when I retire – then I can decide to go on a trip like this whenever and wherever I like. Not bad!

After a reasonably good night’s sleep – which this time was occasionally interrupted by noise from traffic and returning camping guests – Easter Sunday arrives. My second and herewith last full day of this short holiday is about to start. I actually expected to be woken up by church bells. Apparently, the Easter service, at least according to the sign on the church, has already taken place the night before, on Saturday evening. But then I should have heard those bells too, since I was eating a real German ‘Gypsy Schnitzel’ a stone’s throw from the church. But perhaps the bells are sounded quietly here? Anyway, I did not hear them. Which brings me back to the Schnitzel that I ate last evening: according to Germany habits, it is far too large to fit on a very large plate. So instead of having it piling over the side of the plate, this time they just put two on top of each other. Delicious, and compared to the prices of the restaurants in and near my hometown, extremely affordable too. I accompanied that Schnitzel with a semi-dry Moselle rosé. A novelty for me because so far, I have only drunk white Moselle wines (the dry one, not the very sweet version) and had a one-off red Moselle wine. And the reason why I say ‘one-off’ with the red wine, is because Moselle wines are in general not quite my thing, and the red variant certainly not. I have to say, that rosé didn’t taste that bad. Not of a quality and taste to write home about or to take a box of it with you. But as an accompaniment to such a German Schnitzel, it is quite a tasteful wine.

I had checked the weather forecast last night and it indicated that it would be sunny and close to eighteen degrees today. So I throw open the sliding door with anticipation to close it again just as quickly. Nice, those eighteen degrees, but at eight o’clock in the morning the temperature really doesn’t get any further than a mere five degrees. And the hills opposite me are almost invisible. There is a wide veil of fog that makes that visibility is limited to just under a hundred meters. So first I make a cup of coffee in my Percolator, do a few lessons of Duo and have breakfast. Somewhere around nine o’clock the fog disappears like snow in the sun. A good time to visit the nearby village Beilstein, just three kilometers upstream. Beilstein is not much as a village, yet it has a nice ruin on top of the hill. However, no matter what I try, Google maps send me with my bike to a road where I am not allowed to ride my bike – again according to Google maps. And apparently not according to the local ordinances either. But on this Easter morning there is no chicken (and no Easter Bunny) to be seen. So I turn right into the road that goes up steeply. After a few bends, the asphalt road turns into a gravel path and then becomes a half sandy path. It does take me past an almost hidden Jewish cemetery that looks very serene on this hilltop. A few hundred meters further I finally arrive at the ruins. A super modern metal ‘revolving door’ provides access to a restaurant and terrace. But since I have just eaten my breakfast and I don’t see anyone inside (I think it’s still way too early), I go to enjoy the sun on a bench overlooking the Moselle. To then illegally descend along another path (a descend of some one hundred and forty meters of height) down to the Moselle. As this is again a narrow and rocky track, I descend with a very low speed. And luckily so, because just a few meters ahead of me, a large deer suddenly crosses my track. I’m not sure who was most surprised, the deer or me. But before I realize what I saw, the deer disappears as quickly as it had appeared. Amazing what wildlife crosses your path when you’re ‘in the middle of nowhere’. My day already started in a very good way; this makes it even better!

The next possibility for me to cross the Moselle and return via the other side to my camping in Bruttig, is to cycle to the bridge in the village of Senhals. A ride of only eight kilometers further upstream, passing numerous vineyards, camping sites and small villages. Every bend in the road provides a new scenery, the one more beautiful than the other. What a privilege to spend my days here.  Upon return on what by now is ‘my campsite’, I prepare an extensive lunch in my Cali. How wonderful it is to have everything in that compact campervan at hand: my hob, fridge, ingredients, cool drinks. As I said, I could really get used to this. 

After an hour of reading and lazing around, it is time again for a terrace with ‘Wein und Kuchen’. And where better to do that than – like on Friday – in Cochem. Also now everything is packed with tourists, except for a nice spot on the first floor of a restaurant. I quickly occupy that spot on the terrace, order a dry white Moselle wine and an imitation ‘Schwarzwälder Kirsch’. Imitation or not, that combination of local wine and cake tastes excellent! After enjoying for an hour, I drive back ‘home’ to prepare for what will be my last evening of this short camper trip. Well, prepare… I settle into my campervan (it has become cold again), grab my laptop and describe my experiences of this day (what you have just read). All that remains is for me to heat up a rice meal I brought with me for tonight. But that’s for later, first a nice glass of wine and the rest of the cheese and sausage to eat. And then I will go to bed early, clean up the last things tomorrow morning, pay for the campsite and return home. On Tuesday, it will be back to work, because that coveted retirement will have to wait a while. Not so bad either, because in the meantime I have experienced how easy and fun it is to go on the road with the Cali. Even a long weekend away like this, feels like a holiday. Which makes me think about the next short camper trip, probably during the Ascension days as I’ll then again have four days off if I count the weekend as well. But we’ll see. So for now it is ‘on verra & carpe diem’…