Hike Back from Zell to Bullay via the Mosel River

The quaint Mosel River between Bullay and Zell villages.

The view of the vineyard terraces from the river path.

Our hike from Zell back to Bullay was a far shorter one because we didn’t go back through the Mosselsteig, the terraced vineyards trail. We went back by following the walking path that runs alongside the river. There are walking and biking paths here linking the villages in the Mosel, and this particular one was pretty easy to follow.

The river trail also offered different scenery, and we were quite happy with that. To our right, we could still see the verdant Riesling vineyards hills rising behind the fields, and to our left is the Mosel river. We see different kinds of boats pass by, we glance at the village houses along the trail, some of which are pretty nice, and catch the views across the river.

Bullay is less than 6 kilometers from Zell via the river trail path which is about half of the Moselsteig trail we did earlier.

We probably stayed about 2 hours in Zell. We walked around and had our late afternoon shared meal here. It was more like a snack to reward ourselves from the 3-hour hike (with stops!), than a lunch.

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The hike back was in total less than 6 kilometers. We did this hike slowly at first, taking in the different scenery, the river views across the water, the vineyard fields and the interestingly designed houses we saw along the way. Germany has these fairytale-like houses that we don’t normally have in the Netherlands you know.

This is the route:

We also came across different types of ducks and birds, an interesting opportunity for us to be able to tell them from each other. Ducks are considered birds as they come from the same family, but to me, a bird is an animal that can fly away. A duck can’t. Basically, ducks have thicker abdomens, they are louder, and of course, they walk like a duck, haha. And oh, we spotted an arrogant a silver-haired cat as well! The type that I would love to adopt.

Speaking of cats, we will be getting one soon after moving into the new house early next year. I was a bit worried at first because I don’t like cat hairs all over the place. Dutchman promised he will buy a robot that will clean the whole house on demand. But I insisted, as a compromise, that I personally choose the cat. A silver-haired cat appeals to me very well, just like the one we saw. Or a black cat too. Must be male, really chunky, prefer a lazy butt, arrogant yet will demand a lot of affection from its owners. Yes, I know what I want =)

Back to the hike. We noticed the skies turning grey and the wind blowing, so we hurried up. Rain is coming up on the horizon and it’s gonna happen in minutes. We were very right. Just as we reached Bullay, the skies slowly teared up and by the time we have reached our B&B, the heavens broke loose. Aren’t we lucky?

Time to relax. Watch German TV while surfing the net. Yeah, we are fond of multitasking.

A “winegut” – a wine bar cafe along the river.

Houses in Zell along the river path.

Isn’t this duck, pretty? Wait, it’s a bird, right?

One of the funky fairytale-like houses we saw.

Can you imagine having this scenery and this backyard?

We passed by Merl now, the village between Zell and Bullay. This is one of the “winegut” places (wine cafes). The tourists here in the Mosel are mostly Europeans, are of a certain age and many are sophisticated (taste, lifestyle).

A boat cafe on the Mosel River.

This cat. I want a similar silver greyhaired cat like this.

Still passing through Merl village here.

The river cruises. These types of river cruises are popular in Germany and the Netherlands. Their route is usually the Rhine River that goes all the way to the Netherlands, as well the Mosel River. They are flatboats, equipped with suites and a view. We’d probably do something like this when Dutchman and I are older.

Question: Why do they do this? Stand on one leg? I mean, I saw several others did this and it just baffles me. So is this a duck or a bird?

The vineyard/wine terraces. The trail above was our route from Bullay to Zell. Nice to be able to see it from a lower vantage point. Can you see all the grapes?

Just arrived in Bullay and although it hasn’t rained yet, we felt droplets falling on our heads. Need to hurry a bit now!

But have to take pictures again of the beautiful vintage Double-decker bridge of Alf-Bullay. Alf is the village across Bullay that shares the jurisdiction of this bridge.

We passed by litter bin. Yup, we are in wine terrain indeed.

Here we are back at our B&B and relaxing.

Hike Back from Zell to Bullay via the Mosel River

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