Last Day in Saarschleife: Walk on the Riverbend, Cloef-Atrium, Cloef Viewpoint

On our last day in Saarschleife, we took it real slow taking our time in the morning. I woke up early and was reading this thriller book but couldn’t finish it before we leave. I told myself to read it when I am back home, but until now, I still haven’t finished it yet. The book will have to wait for another holiday planned because I forgot to bring it to our winter sports holiday last January. I thought I could use a reading.

We had our last breakfast in the treehouse and then we packed up our stuff. After checking out at 12:00 we deposited our stuff in the car and went for a stroll on the River Saar. The place is beautiful and we are very much looking forward to this walk.

This couple on their kayaks was just there in the middle of the river. They have stopped rowing and were just floating there. They were talking, albeit not so loud, and we could hear them very well. For some reason, the acoustic in water surroundings is very good.

There was a thick mist wafting on the river as well and they were covered by it for some time which made the whole scene really enchanting. We hear voices but could only see silhouettes. It was like walking into a dream.

We are not really going on a hiking trail, we are just following the walking path on the river bend, which we think will lead us to Mettlach. The scenery on the river is lovely. Autumn is in full swing and the changing colours and hues of the leaves were just breathtaking.

As we walk, we feel the peace and quiet, although we do not mind the occasional cargo boat passing by, as well as the other hikers, joggers, and bikers. They are all part of the scenery on Saarschleife.

There is no doubt that autumn is my favourite season of the year. When you are 50+ you have also reached your autumn years.

We walked all the way to the river lock, just before reaching it actually when we turned back and returned to Saarschleife Lodge.

We enjoyed this relaxing early afternoon stroll on the river bend and were quite happy now to say goodbye to Saarschleife. But before doing so, we will drive to the top, to the Baumwipfelpfad (Treetop Trail) which is accessed via the village of Orscholz.

We drove to the Cloef-Atrium and managed to find a parking spot with an EV charger. It is 22KW which is slow but not too bad as we are staying here for at least 2 hours.

The plan is not set in stone but we are looking forward to doing some short hikes in the area, particularly to the Cloef viewing point which we visited yesterday during our Tafeltour hike. However, we later discovered that the distance from the Cloef-Atrium to the Cloef viewing is just a few hundred meters, so we improvised and did other things.

This is the path from the Cloef-Atrium to the Cloef viewing point:

We are back at the Cloef viewing point. I will never tire of this view.

I am taking here another selfie with the Saarschleife horseshoe bend.

Below you can see the Saarschleife Lodge at the bottom edge with many cars parked, and at the northern end of the picture, you can see the Fahrhaus Saarschleife Restaurant where we had dinner last night. Right across the restaurant is the ferry (Fahr Welles) which probably is on the other side of the river.

You can just imagine how many people are making selfies here, haha!

We thought about doing the Baumwipfelpfad (Treetop Trail) which has an entrance fee but decided not to. Apart from the elevated and unique man-made treetop trail, we have already seen the views it offers. I can see why this is a popular and enjoyable outing for families.

Instead, we went off the beaten path and ventured into the nearby residential settlement, passing through Varadeser Park.

The houses are all typically German, you know very practically designed. The houses looked like they are pre-fabricated and assembled together with precision in just a few weeks. There is somehow very little variance to the design. Many houses have the same window style as well. Dutchman and I have always wondered why most houses in Germany have small windows.

We have large windows in our new house and I prefer them open so I can see the blue skies and nature from the inside. I want the outside to be part of my indoor living experience.

We have probably walked around for half an hour in the residential neighbourhood. Then we walked back to the Cloef-Atrium, again passing by the Varadeser Park annexed to it.

I was especially eyeing the gourmet shop at the Cloef-Atrium. They are selling locally produced gastronomic products of the region, all from Saarland, with a focus on Mettlach and the nearby surroundings. They were selling lots of gourmet beers, ciders, wines, honey, jams, and balsamic vinegar made from apples. They were even selling Villeroy & Boch porcelain.

Well, I couldn’t go home without something. I bought a bottle of balsamic vinegar, I was quite intrigued as I never had any that is made from apples. The balsamic vinegar I had at home is also almost done, so this is a good excuse to buy one. In addition, I bought two ice cream cones for the Dutchman and myself, a nice little afternoon treat after all the walks we did today.

This is the Cloef-Atrium. It also houses a nice restaurant called Mirabelle. The restaurant has an outdoor cafe area.

It was time to leave and go back to the lowlands. It’s a 4.5 hours drive back and we were in time to arrive before 12 including charging stops.

We had some stress finding a charging station in Belgium as we were met by heavy rains. It was dark and we couldn’t find it properly. I see it as a “first-time” related stress as we are now quite used to driving an electric car long distance.

The long weekend trip to Saarschleife was a good road test!

Travel Period: October 2021

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