A really bad cold accompanied by an equally bad cough kept me and Trini in the warmth and comfort of the Jost’s beautiful home in Wiesbach (yes, we’re still in Deutchsland).
Before we started our European vacation, I have been contacting many of the friends I’ve made during my two Camino de Compostela pilgrimage (please visit my Facebook page – Walking The Camino to learn more about this). Two of them Victoria and her mom live about 20 minutes away from the Josts. We agreed to meet last Monday, March 5th. Victoria even had to take a day off from work just to make it happen. Regrettably, I was so sick that I had to call it off. My apologies, Victoria and Ga All. I know you follow my blog.
Yesterday was a “perfect” day to go play tourists. Perfect in the sense that the sky allowed the sun to come out all day and there was no rain or snow in the forecast. The best thing was the temperature was in the high 40’s. Only small patches of brown snow are left from the last snow fall.
Manfred was our designated driver and unofficial tour guide for the day. He made a stop at a nearby gas station. For the U.S. gasoline consumers – count your blessings! Gas here in Europe costs around $6.50/gallon (about 1.30 euros per liter). We headed into their autobahn and unlike in America there is no speed limit. Well, not exactly – there were a few speed limits posted where the autobahn cuts through towns (noise prevention) and other safety reasons. But generally, you can drive as fast as your BMW or Audi can take!
Trier is the oldest city in Germany and is located northwest of Eppelborn approximately 72 km (43 miles) away. This is also the birthplace of Karl Marx, the father of communism (“Religion is the opiate of the masses”). It was founded by the Celts in the late 4th century B.C. and was conquered by the Romans in 1 A.D. This became one of the largest cities of Rome with an estimated population of 75,000 to 100,000!
We climbed the stairs and slowly worked our way to all the levels and it was very impressive on how it was preserved and rebuilt to the original designs. Unfortunately, I noticed that almost all the walls had etchings of names and initials!
After our self-tour of Porta Nigra we went to the nearby Trier Cathedral, again the oldest cathedral in Germany. The cathedral is well-known for its pilgrimages as this is where the Holy Robe of Jesus Christ is kept. I was not surprised to see the scallop shell symbol of St. James (St. Jakob in German) in the cathedral’s bulletin board as this pilgrimage is very popular in Germany. It was popularized by a German comedian-actor, Hape Kerkeling who completed the pilgrimage and wrote a book then a movie was made after that.
The cathedral, compared to those that I’ve visited in Spain (Burgos and Sagrada Familia) is unimpressive; however, there was no ostentatiousness in contrast with those I mentioned. The vast interior is equally simple except for several sculptures along the columns and walls. The cathedral’s bishops were all buried in the cathedral. We visited the crypts below ground and it felt spooky due to the lack of lighting.
We ventured out into the cloister where I noticed that it was also a burial place for the city’s rich residents.
At this time, we felt we needed some energy-booster so we sauntered into the center of the old town to grab something to eat. Trini wanted to try the local sausage sandwich. As we waited for our sandwiches a small group of Hare Krishna followers passed us chanting accompanied by a drum and what looked like a keyboard. People just seemed to ignore them.
It was amazing how some of the buildings were preserved for hundreds of years. There is one that was built early 13th century and is still lived on. The contrasting pastel colors are very beautiful.
After the much-needed break, our “bosses” went to do what they do best – shopping! At first, Manfred and I followed them like love sick puppies but eventually gave up. I did what I do best – people watching. I noticed that the women are pretty fashionable here like anywhere else in Europe. Their clothes and shoes are trendy.
After Trier we went to Bernkastel-Kues which I will be talking about in Part Two.
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