Having settled in on our first night in Grevenmacher, we took a look at the map. I still had one more day left, and the French border seemed so incredibly close. We decided that, if the weather in the morning would appear to be at least somewhat decent, to leave our tents, trailers and packs behind to go for a legstretcher into yet another country.
Setting out around 10, with all our valuables stuffed into jersey pockets and Sergej's small yet spacious backpack, we soon realised we were in for some rain after all. After 16 km it started and quickly turned into a downpour, complete with lightning so close you barely saw the flash before a deafening boom crackled through the sky. Having first sought shelter at a bus stop, we got cold since we were already soaking wet. Instead we continued for a kilometer or so until we found a cafe where we could get something warm to drink. Having each had a cup of both coffee and tea, we waited until the rain stopped, squeezed the water out of our gloves and hit the road again as the clouds scattered to give us sunshine once again. Above Schengen, where Luxembourg, Germany and France meet, the sky was as blue as could be. In the roundabout, which is actually in Germany, we said "We're hungry, let's go to France!"
The first town, barely 3 km south of the border, is Sierck. We immediately started to look for a restaurant, only to find that the first one we saw had already stopped serving lunch. Still very hungry, and wet from the rain earlier, we followed the main road to the next place where we could sample the local cuisine. What looked quite simple from the outside turned out to be a luxurious restaurant, with a waiter wearing a suit and tie opening the door when we climbed the steps. Bonjours were exchanged and we were led to a table set for four. Two sets of plates and cutlery silently disappeared and we were handed menus in heavy binders, followed by a polite inquiry if we cared for an aperitive. The prices in the menu were somewhat out of our league, so when the Perrier was served S asked if we could have only salad and bread. We then got the most carefully presented salad either of us had seen, and a basket of bread that was quickly exchanged for a new one as soon as it emptied. I also chose to sample a glass of a local wine, which I found to be so good that when we rolled out of town again, I bought a whole bottle at a wine store halfway to the border.
Being computer geeks, at the roundabout we didn't immediately cross the bridge back into Luxembourg, choosing instead to make a very short stop at the city limits of a town called Perl. In Schengen (Lux) we stopped to fix a puncture I most likely had while still in Germany. With a new tube and a patch to cover a cut in my rear tyre, we raced down the Mosel with the wind helping us stay well above 30 kmh most of the way.
On reaching Grevenmacher we sought out a supermarket and bought some food. Our friendly neighbours in a camping trailer let us charge S's camera and my phone while we had dinner. As I had to get up early in the morning to reach Trier in time to catch a train to Rostock, we quieted down a bit sooner than the night before.
I'm now already on the train, the end of my adventure drawing near. I will, however, always remember this chilly morning, with the misty Mosel valley slowly waking up to a new day as I rode into the rising sun.
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Today: 80,38 km, 3h4m59s, 26,07 kmh avg, 58,1 kmh max. Tour total: 1006,25 km.
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