Trier

Today is our biggest point to point drive of the trip as we head north and out of Alsace & France and back into Germany (215kms, 2hr 15min drive).  We’re going to do an overnight in Trier to break our journey to Cochem where we’ll base for 5 nights.  Trier (pronounced ‘Tree-air” – with a roll on the T and r combo! ) is the oldest city in Germany dating back to around 16 BC when it was founded by Augustus (it was called Augusta Treverorum for 400 years). It was once-a regional hub of the Roman Empire, and ‘capital of the west’, which comprised virtually all of Germany, France, Spain and England.  During the 4^th century Trier had a 4 mile wall with 47 towers and a population of 80,000 people. Emperor Constantine lived here! But when the last emperor checked out in AD395 the money went too and that spelt the end of Trier’s ‘glory days’. But today it still lays claim to having the oldest Roman ruins outside of Rome. We’ll take a look.
Today the heatwave continues and by 10am it’s 33C.   Hermann will keep us air conditioned for 2hrs but the downside is that when we do exit the car it seems even hotter.  Regardless it was 38C in Trier when we arrived and as I type these notes at 8:30pm it’s still 35C!!  We limited our walking today, and Kath is struggling with the heat, her face kinda resembling a beetroot at times (a bit like her mother after two wines!). 🙂

Ok.. back to the start of the day.  We had a quick stop at Molsheim on the way north (as you do).  Molsheim is of course where the Bugatti Veyron is made, and is also home to Chateau Saint Jean.  In the late 1920s the company founder Ettore Bugatti purchased the chateau (built in 1857). It is now the current seat of Bugatti and borders the manufacturing plant.

Hermann outside the front gate.  No VWs allowed in here!

We pass through Molsheim.  Soon the fields of grapevines give way to fields of corn and sunflowers.

Forgotten where you parked your car?

These place names continue to test us!

There’s no wind today for these babies.

The 90kmph rural roads soon turn into 130kmph motorways.  🙂  Nek minut we’re over the border. How do we know?  New road signs and an autobahn!  Yup I’ve missed these roads. Hermann cranks up and we’re consistently doing between 170 and 190kmph.  Only the massive and endless sweeping bends and poorer road surface prevent us from tipping 200kmph.  We hit Trier 12:15pm and make our way through town to check out a few spots before our 3pm check-in.  Man this place is a maize of one way streets and there seems to be a constant endless rush hour going on.  Sure it’s lunch time, but this continued whenever we drove through the afternoon.  We stopped first at the Kurfurstliches Palais (Prince-Electors’ Palace).  It’s a ‘lovely’ pink rococo palace that served as home to the Electors (archbishops) of Trier from 1700-1794.  The archbishops chose pink.  Of course they did. Dodgy buggers.  In this photo I’m strategically chopping out the scaffolding on the left side of the building.



To the left of the palace is the Roman Imperial Throne Room (Konstantin-Basilika).  This is the largest surviving single-room structure from Roman times (built in 310AD) and here we are inside it. Ridiculous!. The Romans wanted the architecture to express the magnificence and might of the emperor, so they did just that! It’s an unbelievable size: 27 m (90 ft) wide, 33 m (108 ft) high, and 67 m (220 ft) long – with an adjoining hall outside at 75 m (250 ft). What we see today gives little sign of what must have been a magnificently opulent roman interior. The plaster and marble are all long gone. The building is now used as a protestant church, and inside they play (continuously) very painful churchy organ music.

Aside from the music, at least it was a cooler place away from the searing sun.

Roman Imperial Throne Room art.


We wandered out and hugged the shade of the vegetation as we wandered up towards the Kaiserthermen Roman Imperial baths. Yeah more Roman ruins but worth a look for €3ea.
Here’s what they would’ve looked like. You can see where the ruins fit in at left of the photo. A massive complex.

Trier has three Roman baths, but the Kaiserthermen are the best of the lot, and the biggest this side of the Alps.  The ruined wall of the Kaiserthermen stands tall and iconic, but it only hints at the maze of tunnels below.  Once you step down from ground level, you enter the baths proper, and they far from being steaming hot, they are cool and as damp as a system of caves (which was great – again we were out of the heat!).  They were built in about 300AD by Constantine the Great to rival the baths in Rome.  (Trivia: Constantine was Roman Emperor from 306 to 337). He travelled a bit back in the day and spent quite a bit of time and money here in Trier constructing all sorts of lavish buildings.  One of the more prominent remains are these baths.  Dahh… scaffolding on ruins!!

Heading underground.

Tunnels and corridors everywhere!  Primarily service corridors (so staff could move around and do their stuff).


Nice brickwork.


Bath art.

We were going to walk here for a look but it was a couple of 100 metres too far in the heat so we drove!  This is Karl Marx Haus.  Described as one of the most influential figures in human history, Karl Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and of course a revolutionary socialist.  He was was born right here in Trier on 5 May 1818 in this house at Brückenstrasse 10 and lived here through his youth until he left for university at age 17.   His most famous book was of course (everyone’s favourite, <cough>) The Communist Manifesto (1848).  He died in London 1883.

Btw ‘Karl’ also features in the classic Monty Python ‘Communist Quiz’ sketch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZ9myHhpS9s

Spotted this interesting building art as we drove along the same road.  Perhaps one of Karl’s favourite hangouts?

We still have some time to kill so… just around the corner is the old Roman bridge.  So we drove over it to check it for sturdiness.  A nice view along the Mosel River.  That’s ‘Moselle’ to the French (Moh-zell) and ‘Mosel’ to the Germans! (Moh-zil)  We’re in Germany so we’ll now say ‘Mosel’.  Either way it wiggles its way through the valleys and into the massive Rhein River (or in English – Rhine River!).

The stone pilings of the Roman Bridge date from A.D. 144-152. However, the arches and roadway are from the 18th century!!  On March 2, 1945, General Patton’s tanks captured the bridge so quickly that it was not blown up – the (empty) charge chambers are still visible from the up-river side of the bridge.


We visited a nearby Kaufland Supermarket to a) cool down, and b) get something for lunch.  This was the mother of all supermarkets (a hypermarket). The wine section was monstrous (mind you heaps of wines are produced along the Mosel). Prices mostly €3-4. Ridiculous. Sparkling was €4-6. All alcohol was cheap. Surely this nation has every right to be full of alcoholics!!  The coolest part of the supermarket (as in temperature) was huge. Chillers everywhere.  Heaps of stuff to choose from.  Anyway… just a distraction.  Moving on. We’re now ok to check in to our accommodation so we made our way through the continual rush hour traffic to the other side of town and checked in.  Accommodation is very well presented, very close to the main attractions, but ahhhh what…. there’s no air conditioning!!  AND… as we’re finding out over the past hour or so… there are regular sirens, and two low chopper visits. Kath investigates. We’re close to a bloody hospital!  Hmmm could be an interesting night!  Recharged we head out for a walk. Not a long one but a hot one.  We walked through the Porta Nigra (more on that later) when I take photos from the other side.  We divert to a side square. Afternoon ladies!

Afternoon ladies.

Back on the main street and into the main square Hauptmarkt.

Petrusbrunnen (St Peter’s Fountain), a gilded fountain that was placed in the Hauptmarkt in 1595.

Bizzare building art.

OMG it’s Gazz Cottle!!

Looking back at Petrusbrunnen and Hauptmarkt.

Another minor diversion off Hauptmarkt to Frankenturm which is a medieval residential tower from the 11th century. Useless trivia: It was named after one of its owners in the 14th century, Franko von Senheim.

Frankenturm art.

Hauptmarkt.

Ok… heading down to Trierer Dom.

The chopper’s just taken off (which means it’ll be back!).  Dahhh… and bloody sirens racing by again. It’s gonna be a crap night (and it’s Friday so probably busy at the hospital).  Note to self. Don’t book accommodation near a hospital!!
Ok… This is Trier Saint Peter’s Cathedral (aka Trierer Dom). This is the oldest cathedral in the country (1235).  Trivia:  The skull of St. Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, is displayed in the cathedral.  Quite some time before she became a mere skull, Empress St. Helena was known for her pilgrimages to the Holy Land, and legend has it that she brought back the Holy Robe of Christ from Jerusalem and entrusted it to her son’s new church here at Trier.  <insert Tui ad here>.  The Holy Robe is the seamless garment said to be worn by Christ during his alleged crucifixion.  The alleged Holy Robe was first displayed in Trier in 1512 for 23 days, during which a ridiculous 100,000+ pilgrims came to check it out.  But wait, 2 million turned up to see it in 1933.  I think the last airing was in 2012.  It’s usually sealed away. All I can say is I’m glad they didn’t bring it out today!  a) Imagine the mayhem, b) It probably smells, and c) I don’t really give a rats.  Nice building though.

But first a drinks break at a cafe right opposite.  Kath is doing it hard in the heat.  Two beers please!


The Liebfrauenkirche (1227-43) is right alongside St Peters. Another Roman Catholic construction, is the earliest Gothic church in Germany.  Yup, we’re getting the feeling that Trier is indeed the oldest city in Germany!


Into Trierer Dom.  Nope, didn’t see him!

Monstrous.

Trierer Dom art.  What’s going on here?  A right shambles.

A truly magnificent ceiling at the front.  Makes the Sistine Chapel look ordinary.

Former church strippers??  Maybe I’m wrong.

This probably the skipper of the St Pete’s first XI.  Again, only a guess.

We ducked out the back right door into a lovely courtyard.  It contains graves of ummm..  not sure, need to Google it on a rainy day (ha, no chance of that right now!).


What do you call a group of nuns?  Apparently it’s a ‘Superfluity’.  Really?  Other answers please. The nun second from left was fairly new age. She had runners on, a backpack, and walking poles.  Woohoo.

JB you wanted inappropriate. Might this be what you mean? Maybe I’m assuming it’s inappropriate when it most likely isn’t.  Is this John Hart’s brother??

Ok it’s time to head next door into Liebfrauenkirche.

Wicked windows.

Lookin’ up. Also impressive.

What have we here?  Nun with sticks is back. Now…. Spot the odd one out.
Yup you guessed it.  It’s the one on the left. The other two aren’t praying!
“Yeah I’m just hangin outside the church looking as cool as I can.  Have I seen any hot chicks?  Nah nun so far”.  Sorry, bad joke.

Right we’ve worked up another thirst.  Opposite Liebfrauenkirche there’s a nice outdoor drinking area at Weinstube Kesselstatt.

What the… is this?

Kath has a refreshing German mix of apple juice and soda water.  I have a Radler.  It’s sooo hot.  Still 38C, and all this in Germany!!


Back to the square to head to base. We get an ice cream each. Anything cold is good.

The Porta Nigra comes into view.

This Roman gate entrance (Porta Nigra) is the largest city gate north of the Alps.  Built in sandstone between 144 and 152 AD, it was the northern gate of the four main gates in the defensive wall of Trier (and the only one left today).  It was built without mortar (only iron pegs hold the sandstone blocks together).



Across the street. What is that on the building?

Closer.  Hmmm…. decidedly dodgy!

One more pic for the road.

Ok.. enough for today.  Another stinker in the heatwave.  Let’s see what tomorrow brings as we snake our way along the Mosel River to Cochem.
Guten nacht!