There are a lot of hills in the Eifel

Today, André and I went on a bike tour for the first time since we moved. We planned to go to the Laacher See, a volcanic lake about 10 kilometres from Andernach. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a map with topographical information, so we discovered the hills between here and there too late. I still have the same bike that I used to use while growing up in Northern Germany, and I’m afraid it is not suited to the hilly landscape here at all.

We didn’t make it to the lake, but found a little adventure along the way: We climbed the Nastberg (link to page in German), which is a volcanic hill that offers a great view over Andernach, the Rhine and the area around (Neuwieder Becken) including parts of the eastern Eifel and the Westerwald.

It seems that we have chosen a nice spot to live: There’s the river Rhine to the east and the volcanic part of the Eifel to the west, plus if you go a little further, the Ahr (to the north) and Mosel (to the south) wine regions are within easy reach. There’s a lot of spectacular nature and scenery around us, and there’s a cooperation that features the sights of the volcanic Eifel. They have a web site, Vulkanpark.com, and the routes to the sights are signposted. I hope that I will have enough time to explore our new surroundings even after I start working full-time the week after next.