Today we were excited to go to Trier which is the oldest city in Germany. Traveling there was certainly a beautiful experience. It is starting to get cold now, so the trees are starting to change, not enough that you could see that it was fall but enough to know that in a month this place will be alive with magenta, ocre and red. I included some of the sites as we were driving along. Notice the bales of hay that some farmer made into a father and a nun. We had to stop and get a good one for you all.
Trier is next to the Luxemburg border and they share alot of fashions and foot wear with each other. It was a little bit of a temptation not to go over, but as you know that would be out of our mission ,so it was a no go for us. Now for a little bit of history about Trier. You might be interested to find out that UNESCO has declared Trier as one of the largest sites of world cultural heritage. It has been compared to places in Southern Italy with its mild climate in the Mosel Valley.
Trier had its beginnings with the Celtic culture but was conquered by the Roman's in 58 BC who started building the grand structures we see today. Constantine himself ruled here and gave Trier a high standing as an Imperial City along with Rome, Constantinople and Alexandria. We enjoyed our walk around Trier as they have buildings that show different architectural styles such as Renaissance, Baroque and Rococo. We saw the house where Karl Marx was born and reared and where he formulated his socialistic ideals. The town however was not impressed and he was forced to leave going to France and then England. During WWII, much of the middle part of town was destroyed but Trier was the 1st German City to be liberated by U.S. forces under General Patton.
We took a bus tour which took us all over the town, however, it did not allow us to explore each place individually. We forgot our coats, so it was probably better that we stayed in the warm bus. The first place we saw was the Porta Nigra, the northern city gate which was built in the 2nd century by the Romans. Some of the stones weight up to 6 tons and are set without mortar. It is only stabilized with its own weight and some iron staples.
As we walked through the streets from the markt platz(the center of town) you can see the difference between what the Romans built, which by the way, boasted their own sewer system and toilets, and the Medieval part of the city where the Jews were relegated to live until the 1400's. I could tell you a few stories of how life was living without a toilet in those days but I will spare you the details. There is a picture of me by the main fountain in the Markt Platz. It is the St Peter Fountain with the women depicting the four virtures around the bottom, Justice, Temperance, Prudence and Fortitude. At the very bottom are the little apes or the vices in our lives.
We had the privilege of viewing the Liebfrauenkirche Cathedral or the Church of our Lady which was erected in 235. A very interesting Gothic style church. It had a very beautiful pipe organ and at the end of the west wing or apse is a shrine built as a final resting place of Arch Bishop Schorborn. This room holds the Holy Relics and the tunic. If you are standing on the opposite end and looking toward the west, there appears to be a light shining in. As you get closer you can see it is a painting of Christ and his arms and hands are held outwards with a light or star in one hand. Quite a difference from the way the churches portray Christ on the cross. The altar was designed by Ferdinand Tietz.
All along the streets they have 8X8 in brass squares ,that they called stumbling blocks, that are embossed with an inscription and set in the pavement usually in front of the persons house where they lived. These blocks commemorate the victims of National Socialism, not only murdered Jews but also Roma and Sinti, political dessidents. priests, homosexuals and euthanasia victims. I saw one that said he was born in 1875 and in 1942 was deported to a death camp. I guess they are called stumbling blocks because that is what it becomes if we live a life of of hatred for others.
Another interesting place we saw was the Imperial baths. They were built for Constantine in the 3rd Century but he left in 316 to become Emperor. The baths were provided for hygienic reasons but also centers of communication. The men and women used them separately. They would cover their bodies with essential oils of the day and cover themselves with sand to help absorb the sweat and dirt from the week and help stave off diseases. They would then go into a sauna for 30 min. and then the body would undergo a scraping process. The hair on the body was said to be pulled off at the same time. Ouch, not for me. But the next part sounded great. They were then taken into the warm baths to relax and socialize for as long as time permitted. After wards if you had money a massage was given and then there was a quick dip in the cold pool for a swim. This was to help the pores of the body close up and invigorate the person for the rest of the nights activities. Sounds pretty nice, they must have had some extra time on their hands. Today that would be called a Wellness Center.
The Kaiser Wilhelm bridge crosses the Mosel River. It still has a four lane highway running across it today. Gene was amazed that it was that strong. This bridge was the entrance into the Roman City for travelers coming in from Cologne. The pillars supporting the bridge are almost 2,000 years old. They were made from green oak logs that were driven into the riverbed. Over those the Romans built basalt pillars. Along the Mosel River is the beautiful fisherman's village. Further up the hills is the wine country. Lots of vineyards up there. I was able to take a few pictures from up on top of the city of Trier. It was an awesome site.
Near the city are big game reserves, hiking trails and a special Volcanic Eifel which is an extraordinary geological phenomenon. It is a beautiful city and we enjoyed our day here. In the Markt Platz they had entertainment from different groups, a mens German band and a Senior Citizens vocal group in their colorful neck warmers. It was a great day of eating fried fish and German Potato salad. Tschuss
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