I woke up at 5.30, wide awake, so I figured I might as well get up and get an early start. I wanted to drop by the supermarket, which only opened at 7.30, so I took my ease, but I was still at the supermarket at 7.15. I managed to buy strawberries at a not yet open market stall and ate them while waiting for 7.30. At 8.00, I was back on the route, which first climbed a hill, then went into a forest for a bit. Very nice path, with beautiful views of the Moselle river in the morning sun.
Unfortunately, that was the best part of the day, scenery-wise. It was a series of villages (number 7 being the one in which I sleep), and the path kept going down to visit each village, then back up to follow roads through vineyards, then back down to the next village. At first, it was a mystery to me why, until I saw a sign in one of the villages that explained that the yellow flags, the markings which the GR5 follows here, too, was a sort of wine route; so I guess it wants to show off as many vineyards as possible, as well as get people down to the villages to visit the caves (this is a French word) and wineries. Still, to me it felt pretty pointless. Especially when I had to climb a high stair (240 steps) to get almost to the top of a hill, only to go right back down again - though slower. One fun thing about being high above the river was watching the trains pass along the tracks following the other bank; they looked like miniature trains from that height.
My feet got really tired from all the tarmac. They prefer forest floors, grassland, wood, even rocks.
Between the last two villages I was just thinking that I missed the forests, too (I'm hiking to be in nature, not to see a lot of man-made neat rows of grapevines being sprayed with something toxic), when the trail veered off into the wood and I did get some forest in the last half hour of the day. That was nice.
Arrived in Remich close to 6, bought some bread at the bakery, which turned out to have quiches, too; so I bought one, and they even heated and cut it for me. No instant food tonight - I actually have to watch my fuel use, as i won't be able to buy more for the next 3 days. Then I crossed the river, as the campsite is situated on the other bank, in Germany. So I'm sleeping in Germany tonight. And again, I had an enjoyable conversation with a neighbour, a cyclist who was on their way from Rome back to the Netherlands. By bike, it only takes 3 weeks. Which is kind of odd against the 4 months or so my trip will cost, all in all.

Geschreven door Jewaontheroad