Bernkastel-Kues
I have a special place in my heart for Bernkastel-Kues. This was the first “city” destination I picked out for us to go to. I found a website that listed a few dog-friendly attractions, and away we went.
We have already taken family back to Bernkastel-Kues and have done the same itinerary. First, park down by the river in a massive lot. Cheap and straightforward to get around. From there, we walked uphill to the castle ruin – Burg Landshut. You can go inside the castle ruin by paying a small fee and seeing some incredible sights overlooking the Moselle River. Maxine has gone into the castle ruins with us. It is beautiful at the top, looking down on the vineyards. This area is known for its Riesling wine, which just tugs at my heartstrings.
From Burg Landshut, you walk through the vineyards and into the town of Bernkastel-Kues. This was the first city we had been to that had the “Geman feel,” if you know what I mean. Half-timbered houses, cobbled streets, and castle ruins. It is breathtaking to walk through and get lost in the streets. Unless you go on a Sunday, restaurants, shopping, and wine houses are open everywhere. People are out and enjoying time with one another. Half the experience of going to a new city is just walking the streets and enjoying the sights. However, we had our sights set on a dog-friendly wine cellar! I almost don’t want to put this gem in writing because whenever we have gone… practically no one is there! Alas, I will tell you my secret.
Mosel-Wein-Erlebniswelt is the name of the (in my opinion) best wine cellar in Bernkastel! If you go here, prepare for all other wineries to be ruined for you. Now it isn’t just the wine per se; you pay 18 euros to sample as many different wines as possible. If you want to keep the wine glass, it is 20 euros which I think is worth the price. The cellar has over 100 different wines. Ranging from a few red, a lot of Riesling, and some very sweet options. The cellar has a description of each wine and allows you to take a bottle from a self-serve area and fill it up as you please. Maybe I was used to the wineries in America, where you pay X amount of money and only receive 3-5 wines. Here you have over 100 wines at your fingertips. My mind was BLOWN! Beware, though, they do not have food at this wine cellar. You can buy a basket of bread, that’s it! So lunch before is always a good option. This is a fun place to take our visitors when they come to Germany to experience a beautiful town and fantastic wine.
We end our time in Bernkastel-Kues by getting ice cream or having some dinner with an overlooking view of the Moselle River. Bernkastel-Kues was a fantastic city to take Maxine for the first time. There were dogs everywhere, and people loved seeing her in the wine cellar. My goal for our next trip to Bernkastel-Kues will be for their Christmas Market as they do an advent calendar on a half-timbered house.
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