I get a lot of mail from readers about the hotels I visit on my travel. I can’t say I have any real hard rule to follow, especially if the destination is in the middle of nowhere, with the exception of “no B&Bs”…until I stumbled into the charming Berghotel Kockelsberg on this trip.

I got there late in the evening and the festive holiday lights were a huge relief after a dark drive on to the property. In the morning from my window,

it looked like I was lost somewhere in a field of greens and mist:

A quick skip across the courtyard to the main house led me to a lovely breakfast with this as my view:

It was a beautiful introduction to the city of Trier waiting for me in the Mosel valley below. After a long day touring Trier on foot, it was nice to have a traditional German meal back at the Berghotel’s restaurant. My fish was from the local Mosel river and the potatoes were cooked to sheer perfection:

Sometimes breaking a rule is the best way to go.