Pre-tour: Meeting Lori and Abby!They day before our tour was to start, we met up with Lori and Abby in Luxembourg. Pam and I were coming from our 12 day Switzerland tour, and Lori and Abby were flying in from Minnesota through Amsterdam. After a day of trams, trains, and planes, we were really excited to meet up and begin our travels together!
We encouraged Lori and Abby to come in a day early to shake off their jet lag before we met up with our group. They traveled really well, but it is always a good idea to arrive early, and it's one of Rick's tips that we always live by. During our trip from Luxembourg to Trier, Pam and Lori got caught up, and I gave Abby a little preview for the upcoming tour. Let's get this tour started! |
Day 1: Welcome to Germany
Since we weren't meeting our group until 4 p.m., we had some time to explore Trier. Iris, our guide, had already posted our day one itinerary and provided a few suggestions for places to explore pre-tour. We appreciated the tips and took many of her suggestions, including following Rick's Trier walking tour path. Abby and I counted off day one in front of the Dom!
We found Trier inviting and easy to navigate. We loved the town square, the markets and the Dom (cathedral).
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Pre-tour explorations through Trier
The churches of Trier were impressive and the grounds beautiful. We took advantage of the fact that it was Saturday, and all the churches were open and available to tourists. Pam and Lori lit a couple candles in the Dom for their aunt who had passed away the week before. It was a special moment that felt just right.
Strolling through the streets of Trier and the town square, we grabbed a quick lunch at one of the side shops and had gelato for dessert. The street musicians were fantastic, and Lori and Abby paused a few times for some European selfies! There have been so many memorable sites and moments already. Oh yeah, and this will definitely not be our last gelato stop on this tour!
Strolling through the streets of Trier and the town square, we grabbed a quick lunch at one of the side shops and had gelato for dessert. The street musicians were fantastic, and Lori and Abby paused a few times for some European selfies! There have been so many memorable sites and moments already. Oh yeah, and this will definitely not be our last gelato stop on this tour!
Let the tour officially begin!
We eagerly joined the other 24 members of our group at 4:00 p.m. for our orientation. Our guide is Iris (pronounced Eeris in German). She welcomed us, gave us a tour overview and matched us up with our buddies. The four of us paired up with a four member family from Texas. They are great, and we are eager to get to know them better! After some brief introductions, we departed for our orientation walk of Trier.
It was helpful to have explored the city on our own first. We were really interested to hear about the stumbling stones that have been embedded into sidewalks and streets throughout Germany in memory of those lost in the Holocaust. In the Dom, I stood beneath a statue of the crucifixion, and I'll admit I felt a stir in my soul looking up at that rendering of Christ on the cross. There was something about it that made me feel I was actually with those in the display looking up at him at the time of his death.
We ended our tour at the Domstein restaurant (Dome stone in English) for our group supper. It was right next to the Dom and was named after the legend of the devil throwing a rock at the Cathedral after discovering it was a church. This is also the legend behind the large stone left in front of the church after construction. We had a fantastic supper, and the highlight for me was the Spaetzle. I have been waiting six years since our best of Europe tour to taste this again. It did not disappoint!
We ended our tour at the Domstein restaurant (Dome stone in English) for our group supper. It was right next to the Dom and was named after the legend of the devil throwing a rock at the Cathedral after discovering it was a church. This is also the legend behind the large stone left in front of the church after construction. We had a fantastic supper, and the highlight for me was the Spaetzle. I have been waiting six years since our best of Europe tour to taste this again. It did not disappoint!
Day 2: Burg Eltz Castle and TrierWe began our day with a fantastic local guide, Anka. We retraced some of the same places we had visited on our own yesterday, but today we had some historical context to go along with it.
We began at the Dom, so we could get inside before mass began for the day. We also walked around the cloister garden and around the Protestant Church. We learned that there are seven electors who choose the German Kaiser, and the Catholic church is a big player in this. Trier is a very Catholic town with just one Protestant church. |
After a quick picture in front of the Domstein, we walked back through the town square to Porta Nigra, the old city gate built in the second century. The rest of the wall around the city is gone, but because this was used as a residence for a local saint, it still stands today. It was very impressive and offered great views of the city. It's hard to imagine how the Romans built this sandstone structure without modern tools and technology. What a history lesson to see this in person!
It rained a bit during our morning tour, but it takes a lot more than a little rain to ruin our day! We thoroughly enjoyed the tour and learning about the local history. Trier, the oldest city in Germany, is definitely fascinating and rich with history!
After our tour of Porta Nigra and the surrounding areas, we met Wim, our drive, who took on to Burg Eltz. We traveled through the beautiful Mosel River Valley. Burg Eltz is the oldest castle still used as a residence. Rumor has it, this is Rick's favorite castle! We explored a bit on our own and then were treated to a 45 minutes tour by a very knowledgeable guide before our scenic walk back to the bus through the woods. At the bus, Iris treated us to some chocolate snacks and fizzy water with apple juice. It was a great day in the Trier area. We learned a lot and saw some beautiful and impressive sights. To cap off the night, we tuned into the World Cup soccer match to see the US defeat the Netherlands for their second consecutive World Cup title! Go girls! |