Today's final book review is for a delightful book called Abenteuer Moselsteig, or Moselsteig Adventure:
As with pretty much every book, this one's got maps, route descriptions, elevation profile charts, approximate hiking times, total elevation gain and loss... so why would you want to buy this book and not one of the many other choices? For me, it all comes down to the author, Heidrun Braun. She's got a delightful, witty voice that's more personable than the other books I've read. Here's an example:
This is a fine place to cut your walk short, but if you were to do that, then you'd miss the best thing on the walk. Castle Eltz is the only reason why the Moseslteig makes such a huge detour around the Elz river valley... but it's worth it. [...] The first glimpse of Castle Eltz, hidden in the valley, is overwhelming. Perched on a steep cliff in a small valley that leads down to the Mosel, this fairy-tale castle will enchant you with its well-maintained walls and its numerous towers and turrets...
I'm not the best translator, given, but I hope that's enough to give the gist of her style; reading her words feels like an old friend's telling you about a wonderful place she'd love to visit with you. I dig it.
Public Press is a small family-owned house that's been around since the late 1970s; they also do what's for me the best map available, but I'll talk about that in another post.
Finally, the book also includes free downloads of GPS data that works especially well with Google Earth Pro.
So why would you buy this book and not one of the other books? Well, if you read German, if you like her writing, then this is an excellent choice. The list of businesses at the end of the book isn't particularly help, but the descriptions of every stage of the trial, pictures, and overall design and layout of the book are charming. I especially appreciated the random tips and hints, explaining things like Weinbergpfirsiche - which I gather is an especially delicious type of peach that only grows near the Mosel - and how to get to the Collis Klettersteig, which tbh looks dangerous af, but wouldn't you prefer to have that as an option that not?