#14 Rheinhessje

We must not lose sight of our further travel plans, even though it is currently very beautiful in the Palatinate.

On Wednesday after breakfast in the sunshine, we have to say goodbye to Falko and Kalle.

We will stay one day longer and take a bike ride. Our destination is the nearby cable car station to Riedburg. We were there two years ago. It was on the holiday of October 3rd, and there were crowds of people, so we skipped the event.

Today is different, and we nostalgically ride the 70-year-old chairlift up the mountain at a snail's pace.

At the top, there's the castle ruin with self-service and plenty of hiking trails. We start off and first pass the fallow deer enclosure. The animals are very tame because they are fed by people. The children especially enjoy it.

However, we don't have a strong desire to hike, especially since the distance signs are inconsistent. Instead of decreasing, they keep increasing, so we turn back and stop at the terrace of the restaurant.

Unfortunately, we couldn't ignore the clouds in the sky. Hopefully, the rain won't start while we're in the cable car.

Lucky us.

The uncertain weather takes away our motivation for longer hikes. We plan dinner in the RV and thoroughly browse the local Edeka market for regional products - Saumagen (stuffed pork stomach), pâté, and hearty aspic with fried potatoes.

When we return to the parking spot, it starts to rain, and we have time to read and write.

A word about the parking spot at the Fitz Schneider winery.

It is located on the back side of the buildings amid the vineyards and offers a wonderful view of the Palatinate Forest and the Hambach Castle. The unobstructed view of the vineyards in the sunshine invites you to relax with a glass of wine. You take it well chilled from the wine fridge in the sanitary area and leave a note with your name and the bottle you took. What do the others have written on their notes? The Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris) is certainly popular.

The parking lot has 16 spots, partly on gravel and partly on grass. Electric pillars are available for each spot, and disposal of chemical toilets and grey water is secured. In the very clean sanitary area, there are 2 showers 🚿 and 2 toilets 🚽 available.

The place has gained a good reputation through word-of-mouth and is almost always fully booked. Anyone planning a trip should reserve in advance, which is not a problem.

But the journey continues on Thursday morning. After packing, we still need to settle up. The winery has an offer: if you buy wine worth at least €70, an overnight stay worth €18 is waived. We can't resist, especially since the Grauburgunder is really good.

Then we continue through the Upper Rhine valley, which is 25 km wide here. This large flat area is bordered on both sides of the Rhine by the so-called