Monreal & Münster, Germany

I’d eventually return my rental car in about a week to Denmark so it was time to swing north. My drive yesterday took me from Baden-Württemberg to the vineyard-covered valleys of the Rhineland. This is where Germany bordered France, Luxembourg and Belgium.

The area was named for the mighty Rhine and its valley dotted with picturesque castle ruins. I actually prefer the lesser-known Moselle river valley. It’s quieter, like the Neckar, and I think just as beautiful. You could spend an entire trip just exploring the towns and castles along both sides of the Moselle.

I’d been in this area before back in 2017 but had somehow missed one of the most famous castles in Germany, Burg Eltz. Aiming to correct that wrong, I booked a small hotel room in Münstermaifeld (great name) and headed that way. Along the drive, I came across this tiny village:

Monreal was immediately striking with a cluster of white, timber buildings stretched out along a small river. Castle ruins on the nearby hills provided dramatic backdrops. I slowly wandered through its cobblestone lanes accompanied by the sound of the babbling river.

The only main road in town wound over a stone bridge and brought me to a sunny cafe. Folks were chatting and happily enjoying their afternoon coffee with cake (remember? I told you about kaffee und kuchen).

Taking in the scene, I noticed the sun was beginning to drop lower so I decided to head back to the car. Burg Eltz was just a few valleys away.

I undertook quite a hike from the car park to the castle but the weather and scenery were great so I didn’t mind. Eventually I rounded a curve and Burg Eltz came into view. It was one of the few castles in Germany to never be captured or destroyed. Amazingly, it was still owned by a branch of the House of Eltz who had lived here since the 12th century.

I was a bit disappointed with scaffolding that covered one large section of the castle complex but I understood constant maintenance must be required. So I hiked down along the opposite side and enjoyed a “cleaner” view. What an incredible setting.

The next day, I drove north toward Germany’s industrial heartland in Nordrhein-Westfalen. In the city of Düsseldorf, I stopped to check if the classic car center was open. It was May 1, an official holiday here. But to my surprise, the door swung wide open.

A restored train roundhouse provided the unique setting for what, to me, seemed like a little slice of heaven. This was a unique concept: a center for classic car owners to have their vehicles serviced by dedicated brand mechanics plus a place for enthusiasts to explore an incredible collection. I’d previously enjoyed a similar center in Berlin back in 2018.

This was not a stuffy museum with cars at a distance behind ropes. You could walk through pristine examples of the storied European brands in addition to several lesser-known marquees mixed in with a bold dash of American classics.

Honestly, it was almost overwhelming being in a space packed with so much automotive history. If I won the lottery, I’d create something just like this back home in the States.

I lingered over vintage Ferraris and Mercedes, then examined details on the classic Porsches and BMWs. Ford was well represented with a mint-condition, turquoise 1950s Thunderbird and a jaw-dropping modern GT.

Eventually I tore myself away and got back in my humble rented Opel, headed further north to the city of Münster (pronounced moon-stuh).

Münster was known for its large university, generous green space and people biking — everywhere. This was most definitely the biking capital of Germany. Perhaps it was the influence of the nearby Dutch.

In the 1940s the Bishop of Münster, Cardinal Clemens August Graf von Galen, was one of the most prominent critics of the Nazi government. In retaliation, Münster was heavily garrisoned during World War II with five large complexes of barracks.

Those got the attention of the Allies. Münster was bombed on October 25, 1944, by B-24 Liberators. About 90% of the old timber and stone city was destroyed in the Allied air raids. By the next April, the American and British armies had fought their way in on the ground.

I stopped to read this plaque inside the re-built Münster Cathedral. It included a stone from Coventry Cathedral in England which was destroyed by the German Luftwaffe in 1940. Following the bombing there, the words “Father Forgive” were inscribed on the wall behind the altar of the ruined building.

Hard to believe much of what I saw of Münster today had been painstakingly pieced together from piles of rubble after the war.

I was transfixed by the cathedral’s intricate astronomical clock from the 1540s. Miraculously, it survived the bombing. In the quiet of the church, I leaned in and listened to the ancient inner mechanisms tick and whir.

A massive, round perpetual calendar with dates for each year from 1540 until 2071 (!) was covered by a late Gothic grill below the clock. It seemed like I spent an hour looking slowly from one corner to another.

My little hotel with its grand total of ten rooms sat right in the middle of the old town, not far from the cathedral.

You can book inexpensive single-bed rooms in Europe which you don’t find in the States. My small room sported a balcony where I could take in three church spires and the nearby restaurant courtyard.

An honesty bar was located on each floor of the hotel. You selected a beer from the refrigerator and place your coins in the bowl on top. This hotel already earned its glowing review from me.

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