From Trier to Koblenz, Germany
After Luxembourg, we headed out to Germany, and started the day with a guided visit of Trier, reputed to be one of the oldest cities in the country, and once the capital of the Roman province of Gallia Belgica. The town's story begins around 16 B.C. when the Romans called it Augusta Treverorum and it is proud of its two thousand year old heritage. Roman emperors, bishops, electors and prominent citizens all left their mark on the town, as can be seen in Trier's magnificent art treasures and unique architectural monuments. The best known is the Porta Nigra, the massive Roman town gate. Porta Nigra (Latin for black gate) is today the largest Roman city gate north of the Alps and has been designated a World Heritage Site. The name Porta Nigra originated in the Middle Ages due to the darkened color of its stone; the original Roman name has not been preserved. Locals commonly refer to the Porta Nigra simply as Porta.
The main thoroughfares in the extensive pedestrian zone leading from the Porta Nigra are Simeonstrasse, Hauptmarkt, Brotstrasse, Fleischstrasse and Neustrasse and its side streets. There are designer fashion boutiques, department stores, lifestyle shops, fair trade shops selling third-world goods, jewellers, specialist outlets, and antique shops -- a shopper's paradise.
We also visited the Karl Marx Haus, the birthplace of the great social philosopher.
After spending two hours here, we moved on to Koblenz. Siituated in the picturesque landscape of the Rhine and Moselle and surrounded by four low mountain ranges is the 2000-year-old town of Koblenz. Its abundance of cultural monuments and historic buildings, its cosy lanes and narrow alleyways, the relaxed and happy atmosphere of its squares and river promenades make Koblenz a friendly town. Fortress walls and towers, castles and palaces, monuments and parks paint a vivid picture of the town's eventful past.
Deutsches Eck (German Corner) is the name of a headland in Koblenz where the Mosel joins the Rhine. In 1897, nine years after the death of the German Emperor William I, the former emperor was honored with a giant equestrian statue bearing an inscription quoting a German poem: Nimmer wird das Reich zerstöret, wenn ihr einig seid und treu (Never will the Empire be destroyed, so long as you are united and loyal). Another inscription could be found at the statue dedicating it to Wilhelm der Große (William the Great).
Here we strolled around the Basilica of St. Castor (Kastorkirche), the oldest church in Koblenz. A fountain called Kastorbrunnen (Castor well) was built in front of the basilica during Napoleon's invasion of Russia in 1812. Pope John Paul II raised St. Castor to a basilica minor on 30 July 1991. This church is worth seeing for the historical events that have occurred in it, its extensive Romanesque construction and its largely traditional furnishings. Since 2002, the Basilica of St. Castor has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage cultural landscape of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley. In addition, it is a cultural property protected under the Hague Convention.
Here we had a good lunch of smoked fish and pork fillet, after devouring our dessert of strawberry cake (our best lunch ever).