We decided to see Cochem from up and down, starting with from up... We took the Sesselbahn
up to the top of a ridge that overlooks everything
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Cochem is on the Mosel River, which is a major wine producing area in Germany
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These vineyards are built on the extremely steep sides of the valley formed by the river. Erosion
can be a major problem, and has taken its toll on this wall (which was probably built centuries ago by the Romans)
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These ridges are lined with ancient trails, which, until modern times,
had no railings. I was very happy to find that the present day hiker is now seperated from a several
hundred foot fall by sturdy tubular steel
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We're now on our way up toward where a large cross is situated at the very end of the ridge.
I'm trying not to look down either side of the trail
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The Mosel is an incredibly windy river. It snakes its way from France
to where it meets the Rhine River in Koblenz, Germany, smack in between Frankfurt to the southeast, and Bonn, Köln (Cologne) and Düsseldorf
to the north. Click here for a map of the area
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Just past these little shoots of grass is about a 500 foot drop... The river has carved this valley out of
this rock over millions of years. The land all around the top of the valley is, for the most part, flat. The river has created its own,
steep, mountainsides. It's an illusion that you're in a mountainous area...you're not, once you're out of the valley
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We still had a bit of a hike left to get to the end of the ridge where the cross that overlooks
Cochem is situated. However, getting there to view the view was the reason we came up here. It is one of three places we found that offer
incredible views of the whole valley around Cochem. The other two, the other side of the valley, and the castle, are coming up
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Just a little further to the end of the ridge where the cross is. Railings are
my pals in these situations...
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Looking back down at the Sesselbahn
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We finally got to the end of the ridge. Cochem is on the lower right,
Cond is just across the river, and we were staying down around the bend in Ernst at Gästehaus
Hermann Reitz, which we enjoyed very much. Their homepage is here
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Café Restaurant Sesselbahn, perched on another side of this ridge. Our next destination
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Cochem Castle, vineyard in front, from the edge...
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Another view of Cochem and Cond
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This is the major road leading into Cochem from the autobahn.
There are two other routes out of Cochem. One winds its precarious way up the side of the valley, which we took a little later,
and the other follows the river on to Ernst
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Yes, I am holding onto that stay... That is the cross's perch at the very end and edge of this ridge
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These stairs were hacked out of the stone centuries ago, then covered in some sort of cement in
the last hundred years, then worn down by
the millions of people who have walked this trail
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The railings along either side of this trail are a reason for me to
send the government of Cochem a thank-you note. This area is maintained extremely well, which is common
for public areas in Germany. Germans enjoy a nice hike through their surroundings, every Sunday,
and they keep public areas like this one immaculate and safe
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The Mosel River, like the Rhine, and many other rivers in Germany,
is an economic mainstay and lifeline. Coal, automobiles, and fuel are routinely transported by barge.
Smaller things like food, mail, packages, and passengers, are transported by an excellent rail system
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The Picture Guy. We got back to the Sesselbahn's landing area on our way up to the restaurant.
He asked everyone who came up the chairlift if they wanted their picture taken. 7 euros... I shot his for free instead
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We'd just hiked from the cross to here, on another part of the ridge, to the restaurant. Nobody was
there. We took a table on the edge of the cliff and ordered a Pils for Ulla and an Alt Bier for me.
These shots are views from the terrace of Café Restaurant Sesselbahn
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Cochem Castle
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We decided to find Cochem Castle. That may sound like a simple idea from this vantage point, but
it was anything but. It was well situated in an inaccessible place for a reason. And it is STILL really hard to get to
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We were at the restaurant around 11am, and chose the table just under the flag.
You will see that flag from the other side of the valley, and from the castle, later on in the day
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Tight turn...
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There is a neat museum in an old lighthouse on the
Rhine in Düsseldorf that
has video of one of these barges taking an entire trip. Very high-tech. Trips up and down these rivers can take days
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Across the valley, in the middle of the woods, was a fußball field. There
is no place near the river one can put a fußball field that isn't taking up vineyard space. But, a fußball field is a must-have,
anywhere in Europe. Cochem carved their field out here. We'd wind up there shortly while we were looking for the castle
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Getting a little crowded now. We stayed for one beer and several pictures, then went on our hunt for the castle
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Café Restaurant Sesselbahn. Sessel is German for armchair, and Bahn means way or path.
Sesselbahn translates to 'chairlift' in English. More or less...
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Heading back down...
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Schäukeln verboten. No problem...
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...down...
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Cochem Castle and our angle of descent...
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A peek over my shoulder at the cross and the cliff it stands atop
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"Der Hund ist OK, Liebling...Liebling?"
"The dog is OK, honey...honey?"
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Feet first descent...
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Growing and harvesting these grapes is an incredible amount of work. It is pretty
much impossible to find a good bottle of German wine in the U.S. The brewing laws in Germany stipulate that nothing artificial
goes into the product. German wine is distributed locally and not exported all that much because it doesn't keep very well
due to the content restrictions
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The Romans brought these grapes to Germany centuries ago when
it became too difficult to transport wine over the Alps. Each Roman soldier was rationed about a glass
of wine per day. When the fighting between them and whomever was occupying the passes through the Alps
from Italy to Germany at the time, the Romans brought their own grapes north and established their
own vineyards. Their architectural legacy is everywhere in Germany, including in this wall
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Landing in sight...
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The castle beckons, as the day darkens...
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Ausgang, gut...
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The Sesselbahn is a 'must do' in Cochem, particularly if you want to find
some really great places to photograph the entire region
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Café Restaurant Sesselbahn is perched where the flag is at the top of this shot. We'll see
more of this area from the other side of the valley as we try to find the castle
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The Mosel River has been carving this valley for millions of years.
Note how many layers of rock have been exposed by the river. This valley is ancient
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Now we're trying to figure out how to get to the castle. Apparently the French had better
directions. They destroyed both the castle and the town. Twice. No problem finding it...
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