Trier: The Oldest in Germany

We began our day aboard Viking Odin with a wonderful breakfast. Docked on the Moselle River, we needed to be up early for a walking tour of Trier, Germany. Our Program Director Bojan had previewed the tour for us and said that we would soon discover that the Oldest--Anything--in Germany could be found in Trier, and that the residents were quite proud of that. Founded by the Romans, a number of structures in the town are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

First, the buses took us high above the city where we could look down on the vineyards stretching down the steep slopes and get a birds-eye view of the town.

We leave Viking Odin for our morning tour

Vineyards stretched down the hillside

Long a wine growing region, we caught sight of the city's long history in a statue outside of one of the local restaurants:

Transporting casks of wine

The first stop was the Basilica of Constantine, originally the throne room of Emperor Constantine, begun in the 4th Century. 

But right around the corner from this enormous Roman structure was the VERY Baroque palace of the Bishop-Elector of Trier, build in the middle of the 18th century. We would discover that Bishops (and in particular, the Bishop of Trier) wielded great power throughout Germany. Not content with simply leading the Catholic Church, they were able to gain civil power as Prince-Bishops. The Bishop of Trier controlled territory throughout many of the towns we would visit on our tour.

On the other side of Constantine's throne room stand two huge churches: The Cathedral of St. Peter, the oldest bishop's church in Germany dating back to the 4th century, and the Church of Our Lady (Liebfrauenkirche), the oldest Gothic church in Germany (from the 13th century). The Cathedral claims to have a portion of a robe worn by Jesus prior to the crucifixion in its collections.

We would also learn a hard truth about many of the structures we'd see on this trip: most have been extensively rebuilt over the years. The Church of Our Lady had been destroyed by bombing during World War II, so while portions of the structure are original, the interior also has a more modern feel, having been rebuilt during the middle of the 20th century.

These four structures: The Roman throne room, the Prince-Bishop's palace, and the two churches form the center of the town, but the market area extends beyond and leads to the Porta Nigra (Latin for Black Gate), the largest Roman gate still standing in Germany.

Our walking tour concluded here, and we had some time to explore Trier's Christmas market. On the way, our guide had also pointed out the house where Karl Marx had grown up, just off the main market area. 

With ultimate irony, the ground floor is now the German equivalent of a "Dollar Store" selling cheap souvenirs and gifts. What would Marx think of that?

The short video below is a great overview of the sights of Trier. If you watch through to the end there are great shots of Trier's Christmas market!

We'll cruise up the Moselle this afternoon and dock in Bernkastel-Kues for the evening.

All aboard Viking Odin!

After our walking tour of Luxenbourg City, we had one more stop to make before we reached Trier and boarded Viking Odin for our cruise through Germany.

Just outside the city is the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial where over 5,000 US soldiers who fought in WWII are buried. The cemetery also is the final resting place of General George Patton, commander of the Third US Army. The cemetery is officially considered "US soil," a fact that became clear to us as we got off the bus and heard the unmistakeable sound of "Taps" being played. We slowed our steps and then heard the National Anthem. David stood at attention, hand on his heart, and the rest of our tour group (comprised of Americans, Brits, and Canadians) followed his lead as we paid our respects to the lives that ended here. It was particularly meaningful for David, knowing that his father Horace Calhoun had served with some of these fallen soldiers.

From the cemetery, we were not far from Trier, Germany, and it wasn't long before we were being warmly welcomed aboard the river barge and shown to our cabin. 

We had decided to stay in one of the least expensive cabins, reasoning that we'd rather spend our money at the Christmas markets, and we made the right decision. Besides, we thought the usefulness of an outdoor balcony on a cruise where the temperatures would hover right at the freezing mark was limited. Despite being on what is jokingly called "the aquarium level" because most of the cabin is just beneath the water level, the space was efficient and provided everything we needed. There was a narrow window near the ceiling that afforded a view of the shore, and room to unpack our suitcases and get settled. And when we turned on the TV, we found a live broadcast of the Ohio State-Michigan football game ready to kick off! David wasn't sure which he wanted more: to watch the game or go above for the Welcome Aboard Cocktail party!

Eventually, we opted for cocktails, meeting the staff, and sitting down for our first delicious meal aboard ship. After that--we were ready for bed and a good night's sleep!

A short visit to a small country: Trier by way of Luxembourg

After our whirlwind visit in Paris, it was time for us to travel to Trier, Germany, where we would board the ship Viking Odin for our river cruise.

We would make a couple of stops as our coach bus made its way through the northeastern French countryside, including an excursion to Luxembourg City, the capital of Luxembourg.

For the morning, we watched as the names of small towns flew by, jogging our memories--Disneyland Paris, Reims, Verdun, the Maginot Line, and of course, Champagne. David watched for places he'd been during his military service in Europe, and for places his father had been--serving with the 29th Division as part of the Normandy invasion and its aftermath.

European bus drivers follow very strict rules on the hours they drive, so our stop at a French highway rest stop was both for our benefit and to comply with these standards. From the outside, it looked like American travel plazas advertising gas and fast food. 

We had forgotten, however, that we were in France, where they apparently see nothing strange about selling high-end champagne in a rest area. They also addressed the age-old problem of keeping the bathrooms clean by simply removing all the toilet seats. It would be the first of our "discoveries" about European facilities that would make us yearn for home!

We crossed the border into Luxembourg around noon and made our way to the Luxembourg City center where we had time to explore their Christmas market and grab some lunch. We picked a little cafe and enjoyed fabulous coffee, (which seems to be the rule wherever you go!) a bagel--AND their sense of humor!

We explored the Christmas market and picked up one of our "must have" souvenirs right away: a glühwein mug. Glühwein is a spiced wine served at Christmas markets, and each market produces a collectible mug to sell each year. We could have come home with a whole suitcase of different glühwein mugs (and a headache, I'm sure), but we decided to stop at one.

We also were treated to a walking tour of the City and learned more about the history of this tiny country. Beginning with Roman roots and then part of Charlemagne's empire, the area was buffeted about, belonging in turn to Spain, France, Austria, the Netherlands, and Belgium. It briefly gained its independence in 1867 but was occupied by the Germans during both World Wars. It's little wonder we saw this slogan (the motto of Luxembourg) on the wall in the city: it translates (roughly) to "We want to remain what we are."

The city exists within an enormous gorge formed by the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse Rivers, and the views from the cliffs above are breath-taking. In the distance, you can see the modern buildings out in the suburbs, but all around you are reminders of the long history of the area. We also had an unexpected treat! Some musicians had split themselves into groups and were stationed both at river level and up on the cliffs and were using the special acoustic properties of the topography to enhance their music in an impromptu concert! You can just barely see some of the brass players in my second picture. 

Our last stop in Luxembourg would require us to board the bus again and head just out of town, near the airport, which, our guide reminded us, MUST be an international airport because there is no other airport within the borders of the country. In fact, within one minute of takeoff from the airport, you are already in another country! Next, we would visit the American cemetery honoring fallen World War II soldiers. 

Let Them Eat Cake--or Macarons!

We'd spent the morning touring Paris by bus. For the afternoon, we had signed up for an optional tour of the Palace of Versailles just outside the city.

In the first installment, we explained why this blog is called "Following the Duck"--based on the duck-handled umbrella our guide used when we toured Switzerland. With Viking River Cruises, we'd have to learn to follow something else, however--we'd be "Following the Lollipop." For each of our excursions, we'd be assigned to a small group, and our local guide would carry a bright red paddle shaped like a lollipop to try and keep us organized.

David, ever ready to lead, even got to hold the lollipop as we arrived and our guide went to check on our tickets!

"Follow the Lollipop!"

I was a history major and thought I knew a fair amount about the Palace, Louis XIV, the French Revolution, Marie Antoinette, etc. Hadn't I seen the Sofia Coppola movie? However, I would learn much more about the Sun King throughout our trip, and a lot of it wasn't very complimentary! More on that later!

But Versailles really is breathtaking. The opulence, the soaring ceilings, the crystal chandeliers, and the Hall of Mirrors were all a little overwhelming. David was unfazed. Looking out over the grounds outside the palace, at the view referred to as "The Grand Aspect," he remarked, "I could live here. Look! It's got a pond, and I could go fishing." 

The Grand Aspect/David's Fishing Hole

Once inside the palace, words just don't do it justice, so I'll share some photos:

The Hall of Mirrors

On the way out of the Palace, an alcove holds a wonderful surprise--a small boutique: Maison Laduree, one of the original purveyors of French macarons. Did we buy some? Oh, yes we did!

And that evening, we ventured out for another wonderful French meal, this time at Chez Clement, where we shared dinner and managed a reasonably intelligible conversation with a French couple seated next to us! Tomorrow, we depart for Trier, Germany, where we will board our river barge, the Viking Odin.

Paris: Notre Dame and the Eiffel Tower

In our daily shipboard briefings, our Program Director Bojan Bozic (more about him later!), would always remind us that breakfast was the most important meal of the day. And I have to say, European breakfast is the food I miss the most when I come home. After a good night's sleep at the Hotel Meridien Etoile in Paris, we enjoyed flaky croissants, omelets made-to-order, and amazing coffee. We could have chosen sheep's milk yoghurt, meats and cheese, muesli cereal or porridge. There seemed to be miles of French pastries, accompanied by tiny jars of jam and butter.

Too soon it was time to meet in our smaller groups for our bus tour of Paris. While we certainly would have loved a week to explore all the places we only saw from the bus windows, we only had one day here. So we drove by the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, the Ponte Neuf, and all the amazing shops on the Champs Elysees.

 There was time to tour Notre Dame Cathedral and we were awed to think that we were walking on steps that have been used since the 1200s. The stained glass rose window with its original glass was breathtaking. 

The Cathedral was decorated for Advent

Rose Window with Original Stained Glass

We watched a street vendor prepare crepes to order and peeked into several souvenir shops full of refrigerator magnets, scarves, and other trinkets.

Again, we needed to board the bus, emerging a second time for photos in front of the Eiffel Tower. We also passed the museum commemorating those who had received the Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur and gave a silent salute to David's father, a recipient for his actions during the invasion at Normandy.

One thing that sets Paris apart is that it has no skyscrapers like most major world capitals. The small winding streets and roundabouts packed with traffic along with all the glittering shops gives the city an elegant charm.

They also have special motorcycle attachments for delivering fresh baguettes.

After the tour, we had about an hour to freshen up and grab lunch, so we stopped into what one of the Brits on our tour referred to as the "American Embassy"--McDonald's. Ordering from huge banks of touch screens and cheerfully waited on by a girl wearing the most elegant fast-food uniform I've ever seen, it was a quick and familiar meal.

For the afternoon, we boarded the bus for the quick drive just out of town to the Palace of Versailles. It was such an amazing place, it merits its own entry in this blog, which will be coming up next.

First our trip was canceled

Three and a half years ago in this space, we shared our experiences as we honeymooned in Switzerland. We called our blog "Following The Duck" after the duck-headed umbrella handle our tour guide used to organize our adventures.

We decided to reactivate our blog this November on our Viking River Cruise from Paris to Prague along the Rhine River.

But first, our tour was canceled.

After carefully choosing the tour we wanted--a tour of Prague followed by cruising the Rhine and visiting all the German Christmas Markets and finishing with a tour of Paris--we abruptly got word that the tour was canceled. Fortunately, we have a great travel agent who got us rebooked the next day on the same tour in reverse: Paris to Prague. And because of the change, they kindly gave us $100 in shipboard credit. We would add that to an additional $100 in shipboard credit we'd gotten when they had accidentally put us in the wrong level cabin.

But wait! There's more!

JFK was strangely deserted the day before Thanksgiving

Two days before our departure, Lufthansa, our carrier for the trip over, went on strike, so all flights would need to be rebooked. We would now have an additional leg to JFK, and then a connection to Schiphol in Amsterdam. We had intended to take the train from Harrisburg to the Philly Airport to catch the flight, but the changes meant our return flight would not arrive until after the last train leaves Philly. So, instead of an easy train trip, we would need to drive to the airport and leave our car in the long term lot. So we canceled our train tickets and adapted. And we got another compensatory shipboard credit. At this point, we are close to owning the ship!

Schiphol Amsterdam was a blur as we searched for the right gate

We traveled on the day before Thanksgiving, and fully expected jammed airports and even delays. On the contrary, each of our flights was smooth, and on time. Philly to JFK. JKF to Amsterdam. Amsterdam to Paris. We left home at 5:00 am Wednesday to drive to Philly and landed in Paris at 8:00 am Thursday (or 2:00 am back home). We were met by a Viking River Cruise representative who tucked us into a Mercedes van with our (very handsome and very French) driver Michael and we were launched into Paris morning rush hour.

And launched is the word. Maybe Michael moonlights as a LeMans driver. I think we may have pulled "Gs" as we threaded our way, with mere millimeters separating us from other cars and trucks also moving at breakneck speed, through the traffic. The radio played US Broadway show tunes. And the most startling of all were the hordes of motorcycles using the narrow space between the lanes to progress through stopped and slowing traffic. We thought it must be illegal until we saw police motorcycles doing the same thing!

We arrived at our hotel near the Arc de Triomphe hoping to catch a quick nap and use the rest of the day to explore on our own. But it was not to be. With typical Gallic logic, our hotel had been told we would not arrive until 3:00 pm (our original ETA on Lufthansa), so darn it--our key would not be presented until then. Other members of our tour got their keys. We waited. Finally, after a sustained campaign on the part of our Viking rep, we got our room around 1:30 pm. And we slept. Finally.

We woke up several hours later, refreshed, and ventured out for dinner. We found a little restaurant down the street called Tabac des Ternes. It was perfect. Seated by a window where we could watch Parisians make their way home, we had our Thanksgiving dinner. It was also our anniversary dinner (4 years). We had escargot in garlic butter, lamb chops with green beans, and creme brûlée with espresso. Did I mention it was perfect?

And then a wonderful, delightful, amazing full night's sleep.