day 1,  2,  3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8,  9

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(DAY 4) 15 MARCH 2005.

TRIER

St Matthias' Church in Trier marks the last resting place of the Apostle Matthias. Although he died in the Holy Land, his remains were brought back to Trier by St Helena. At present it is being refurbished, so the tomb itself was not accessible. It seemed odd to us that the Church is just like a normal Parish Church, the guide-books are all in German and there are no signs inside the Church of where the tomb is. The Romanesque exterior is extraordinary and magnificent.

MOSEL VALLEY

The Moselle river turns in to the Mosel when it crosses the border from France to Germany. Both sides produce excellent wine. The journey from Trier to Koblenz is the best scenery Ivy has ever seen. Even though it was the wrong time of year, the entire effect is breathtaking.

Vineyards cover the hillsides on both banks of the river wherever it is possible to plant them.

Huge barges carry massive loads along the river. Note the car on the back, giving an impression of the scale.

A closer view of one of the vineyards. In Spring it would look even better.

Charles' eagle eyes were more tuned in to playgrounds .....

Ivy in front of some of the wonderful scenery.

CASTLES, HOUSES AND VILLAGES ALONG MOSEL VALLEY

Castle on the hill at Bernkastel. All along the valley, the local potentates built castles to defend their land - and exact tolls from travellers in older times!

Cochem is the main town in the lower Mosel, and is dominated by this ornate fortress.

Beilstein, a typical village nestling by the riverside.

Unladen barge passing Beilstein. Contrast this with the loaded barge above.

Reil, showing typical domestic architecture of the region.

Cochem market square, with some of the ancient merchants' houses.

Cochem Church sports this curious ornate tower.

In Koblenz-Gondorf, this bizarre gatehouse straddles the main road to mark the end of the `weinstrasse'.

PIESPORT

We stopped for lunch at Piesport, one of the more famous of the wine villages along the valley. The first restaurant we tried was closed for lunch, but the second provided a very traditional German lunch (Jagerschnitzel). As well as a playground for Charles ...

BURG ELTZ is a fairytale castle set in a hidden valley amid dense woodland just off the Mosel valley. We stopped for a marvellous walk in the woods (only the time preventing us from walking for several hours). The woods were alive with wildlife, including buzzards, woodpeckers, nuthatches and many others. At some times of the year the castle is open for visitors.

We stopped for the night in KOBLENZ, famous as the town where the Mosel meets the much larger River Rhine at `German corner'.