We met our group in Trier on time and so far eveyone is warm and friendly. There are folks from all over the USA and Canada and it is nice to have a conversation in English again! What is most surprising is that at least 75% of the people have done one or more Rick Steves tours before and they all returned because of their great experiences. Our guide, Fabian, was born and raised in Berlin and has a PhD in history from Stanford. He is wonderful and so informative.
The first night here we did a short walking tour of Trier and enjoyed a group dinner in town where we got acquainted with our new traveling companions. What a fun and lively group.
In the morning we met up with our local Trier guide Paula - she was passionate about her city and provided us with a lively and informative tour. Trier is an ancient Roman city and the oldest city in Germany. It was founded in 16 b.c. by Augustus. We saw some of the original Roman rodes and famous Roman baths. Amazing how clever the Romans were, they heated their floors by building them a bit above ground and burning wood in the lower levels - pretty advanced technology.
We visited the marketplace - (impressive) and one of the the original city gates (Porta Nigra). The other three gates have since been destroyed.
We also learned about the largest intact Roman structure outside of Rome. It was constructed as a throne room for emperor Constantine around 330 a.d. and became a Basilica. The cross at the alter is said to sit above a piece of the cloak of Jesus.
Then we were off for a tour of the Mosel Valley, lunch in Beilstein along the river and then to our tour of the Eltz castle.
The Eltz Castle is one of the only surviving original castles in Germany and has been occupied by original family members for 33 generations (850 years). And because of this, it is Rick Steves favorite castle in all of Europe. It was well-protected and was never destroyed, so everything has been preserved.
Visitors are not allowed to take photos inside the castlebut it was an impressive tour - the armaments room had everything from crossbows to rifles and of course knight's armor. The rooms were large and still had some of the original furnishings and tapestries.
Today we walked nearly five miles - we made it back to the hotel with a treat from Fabian, our tour guide. On the bus ride back he served us some local wine made right in the Mosel valley from the very vineyards we had just seen.
We had a very full day covering lots of territory and soaking in a tremendous amount of historical information. We arrived back in Trier by 6:30 pm and joined some of our new friends for a nice simple meal at a local Weinhaus. Time to pack up and get ready for our next adventure in Baden Baden.
Having a great time!
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