(Recommended by Ben & Clan)

Weingut Haus Karina Thomas und Liane Barzen Moselstraße 21 56861 Reil an der Mosel Tel - 6542/21854 ~ Fax - 6542/1566 Email - info@hauskarina.de Singles - Doubles - Apartments

(Excerpts from Trip Report 2002) ...I hand the road atlas to Amy in the backseat and give her a first course in Map Reading 101. She loves the new responsibility and guides me north onto B421 all the way to our destination for the next two days - the small village of Reil on the Mosel river. Knowing the general location of the Haus Karina, I head for the riverfront area where we meet up with our very friendly hostess, Frau Liane Barzen. The Haus Karina is a very old structure just across the street from the river and has endured much flooding over the years. It is however well kept and maintained and our room with a vine covered balcony overlooking the street and riverfront is very nice.

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We spend the afternoon allowing Dee Dee to recover and after a short nap we all take a stroll along the river and settle on dinner at the nearby

Hotel zum Römer
Moselstraße 15
56861 Reil an der Mosel

Several hotels have built wooden terraces along the river just across the street from their restaurants and these are just right for the unusually warm weather we are experiencing. The Römer's tables with large umbrellas and a nice breeze blowing in from the Mosel are perfect for a meal or just nursing Bier or a glass of wine. We select an Omelette mit Schinken und Salat (7.50 €), Weiner Schnitzel with Pommes Frites und Salat (8 €), and I try a Römerschnitzel mit Speck, Spiegelie, Pommes und Salat (9 €).

We take our time enjoying the day and while Amy spends her time feeding bread to the local swans and ducks, we relax with cool libations.

Dee Dee has acquired a taste for Pils and even tho this is wine country (and some of the best around) she sticks to her Bier while I try to put away a bottle of nice white wine. Life is good... We finish off the evening with some cool Eis concoctions at the nearby Pizzeria-Eis-Cafe Caruso where Amy discovers an old favorite - Spaghetti Eis. Looks like spaghetti but is simply strained vanilla ice cream with a strawberry topping.

Day Fourteen

Tuesday - after an excellent breakfast complete with eggs in Liane's Frühstück zimmer (nice view of the Mosel), we drive northeast along the river to the picturesque little village of Beilstein. A friend from the office would be staying there in a few days and I wanted to take a look for myself at the place he would be staying, the Hotel Haus Lipmann. Beilstein is a sleepy little untouristy town on the south bank of the river that proves to be well worth at least a visit if you are in the area.

..We continued northeast to pay a visit to one of my favorite castles in Germany, the Burg Eltz.

Although never destroyed since it's building commenced in the 12th century, the Eltz did undergo a siege in the 14th century when it's supply lines were cut off and the castle was forced to capitulate. Peace was quickly returned, the Eltz family was allowed to resume control and it has been in their family since. Most of the present castle was built during the 15th century and remains much as it looked in medieval times. Not wanting to wait on enough tourists for an English tour, we opted to take a German language tour and followed along with our English brochure. The girls were duly impressed and along with the Marksburg (the only castle on the Rhine never destroyed) - we all agree that they are our favorite castles in this part of Germany.

The afternoon was spent shopping for souvenirs and walking the streets of Cochem. This town definitely has it's share of tourists but is a great opportunity to relax at one of the many outside cafe terraces with Bier and Eis and people watch. After a few Brat's and Pommes along the Fußgängerzone, we return to Reil and spend the hot afternoon relaxing on the balcony of the Haus Karina watching cruise ships and huge barges glide by. Later we returned to the Zum Römer for another evening on their terrace.

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We enjoyed another Römerschnitzel mit Speck, Spiegelei, Pommes und Salat (9 €) (Amy liked mine from the night before and tried it herself), Rinderroulade mit Salzkartoffeln und Apfelrotkohl for me (9 €), and Dee tried the Heringsfilet Hausfrauenart mit Bratkartoffeln (7 €). Several drinks and a few hours later we stumbled across the street to our room and I did my best to finish off a nice bottle of Haus-Karina Bacchus. Feeling no pain our last night on the Mosel...

Day Fifteen

Wednesday - up and out early (0500) for a solo walk around town enjoying the cool morning air and watch an elderly Opa fish the river for his lunch. Another good breakfast with lots of strong German coffee to start the day.

We pay our bill (57 € per night) and bid Frau Barzen auf wiedersehen...

If you are looking to spend a few days in a nice, quiet village along the beautiful Mosel valley - Reil could be the place for you. While there you won't find a nicer, friendlier place to stay than the Haus Karina... Ben