Vulkane, Wasser und Wissen

This hike was easy to walk from the altitude difference. From the parking lot it goes out of the village and past the old post office and the associated information board. The path climbs gently and I am already on a hilly terrain with a beautiful view. Once at the top there is a distant view of the Nürburg. Between meadows the path leads me gently up and down through the Eifel landscape. Butterflies are with me. In Meisenthal I pass the Ternesmühle with its St. Antonius chapel. Then you continue on the field path along the Trierbach through meadows, gently up and down to the starting point. There is now a colorful, blooming meadow at the entrance to the village. It gives the hike momentum and that certain something.

https://www.komoot.de/collection/1058451/-themenrundwege-geschichtsstrasse-vulkaneifel The title "Volcanoes, water and knowledge - themed circular route on the history route" is a little surprising at first. Because the tour mostly runs across fields. In addition, it is not particularly long. As the history route tours have not disappointed me so far, I drive to Rothenbach today and start walking. The small town of Rothenbach alone is delightful. Well-restored half-timbered houses adorn the town, and the Catholic hall church of the Assumption of Mary was built in 1946 using quarry stone. We leave the town and walk next to the Rothenbach towards the Trierbach. We have the first beautiful views of the Eifel and the Hochkelberg. Next to a cow pasture, we climb down the slope on an "off-grid" meadow path and come across the Trierbach, which takes in the Rothenbach. The small stream is surrounded by a species-rich floodplain landscape. Fragrant flowering meadows and distinctive riverside vegetation form the habitat for a large number of butterflies, which fly over the meadows in dozens, either jaggedly or in a dazzling manner. On the banks of the Trierbach, dazzling blue-winged demoiselles romp around in the afternoon sun. It is a truly beautiful sight! Luckily, a few weeks later the fluttering would have stopped. Phoebe is not so interested in the dragonflies. They are not mice... She gets impatient - as always when I take longer photos, and so we carry on. At the Meisenthaler Mühle we leave the Trierbach and hike over a gentle hill to Meisenthal, a church hamlet belonging to Rothenbach. A little detour into the Mühlenweg is a must, because here stands an old knee-wall house from the 18th century, one of the first to come into fashion at that time. In Meisenthal we pass the Catholic chapel of St. Antonius from 1706 and the rectory from the first half of the 19th century. In a long curve we climb to 510 meters and once again have a very beautiful view of the hamlet with chapel and rectory. Here is also the Meisenthal grill hut with wave lounger, which offers a fantastic view of the volcanic landscape. We get closer to Rothenbach again via a wooded descent and pay a visit to the Rothenbach Drees. Just before the town, a field path leads us to the small stream that is fed by two springs. The Drees is of volcanic origin and comes from the rock layers of the Lower Devonian. The drinkable water has a high CO2 and iron content. The Drees gave the stream and the town its name. We walk the last few meters through the town back to the car. Conclusion: "Volcano, water and knowledge" is a very fitting name; even though the real volcanoes only appear as cones in the background of the landscape. The visible result of volcanic activity is the Drees. Water plays a major role in this hike. Finally, we follow the Rothenbach and Trierbach, both of which keep unique biotopes alive. And a little culture is on the side of the hiking trail and livens up the little tour a bit. Conclusion: Mostly sandy field paths, little asphalt and a small proportion of paths. Wide views of the surrounding landscape with volcanoes top off this tour. The tour could have been longer, but otherwise it is a nice afternoon tour where you can let your mind wander.