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day  1,   2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

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(day 3) TRIER, GERMANY

Trier is the oldest city in Germany, situated at a strategic bridging point of the river Mosel. From the time of Julius Caesar, it has been one of the most important cities of the region. Today, the city wears the signs of its history with justifiable pride.

ELECTOR'S PALACE

The Holy Roman Empire was a political confederation of primarily Germanic states, most of which had previously formed part of the empire of Charlemagne in the 9th century. The emperor was (in theory) elected by a college of electors, who therefore wielded great practical powers. The most important elector was the Archbishop of Trier. His palace is a masterpiece of Baroque magnificence, mostly built in the 17th and 18th centuries. Principal architect was Georg Riedinger, broadly a German equivalent of Christopher Wren.

One wing of the elector's palace is a massive basilica, built in the 4th century AD at the command of the Roman Emperor Constantine, who had been born in Trier.

CATHEDRAL

The Cathedral stands on a site where a church has stood since AD326, reputedly on the site of a former palace of St Helena (Constantine's mother). Most of the present building dates from the 10th to 12 centuries. It is the most magnificent and sumptuous place of worship I have ever seen. Everything is splendid, from the status on the door to the marble floors, the ornate ceilings, the superlative inlay-work on the pews and wooden panelling, and (Charles's favourite) the amazing Baroque organ. In the picture of David praying, a small forehead can be seen beside him belonging to someone very small doing the same .....

ROMAN REMAINS

AMPHITHEATRE

The amphitheatre is a huge bowl-shaped stadium built by the Romans about 100AD. It would have seated up to 20,000 and hosted things like gladiatorial battles. The acoustics are superb: someone talking in a normal voice in the centre can be heard from the back seats. In the sides are cages where, in former times, wild beasts such as lions and bears would have been held awaiting their part in the entertainment. Today, the fiercest thing in them was a Charles ....

IMPERIAL BATH

The imperial bath was a huge, elaborate bathhouse built by Constantine in the 4th century. The superb brickwork is still standing, including several arches made purely of brick: an unusual feature for the time. It was built to supersede the original baths near the river, but was never actually finished.

 
BATH

The original bath house by the river is in process of being excavated. Much of the structure remains, though not to anything like the height of the original. It would have been a major social centre as well as fulfilling its main function: for Romans, bathing was a social not a private occasion. Heating was provided through underfloor ducts known as hypercausts.

 PORTA NIGRA

The Porta Nigra was the original Western gate of the roman town. It was so called because after many centuries the stone has weathered to a black colour. Apart from being the way in to the original walled part of the city, it was the garrison house for many of the soldiers who guarded it.

BUILDINGS

The Red Tower, part of the Elector's palace.

Grand house opposite the Imperial baths.

Entrance to St Gangulf's Church, just off the market square.

Administrative buildings opposite the Cathedral

Market square, showing the half-timbered buildings to the right.

Gallery in the square opposite the Cathedral

Many of the buildings in the centre are large, solid, durable 18th and 19th century structures such as these. The small details and craftsmanship are of a very high order.

STATUES

The St Peter Fountain, in the main square, was built by H.R. Hoffmann in 1595.

The newly restored St George Fountain, built by J. Seiz in 1750.
 

Old Messerschmitt bubble car. (You could almost wear it instead of getting into it).

Ivy in her natural habitat (shopping!!!)

DINNER AT THE HOTEL'S RESTAURANT

We had dinner again at the restaurant in the Deutscher Hof. The waitress remembered us (and probably hurried off to demand danger money). For some reason the other customers were amused by Charles, despite the chaos. At one table was a very sleepy Bassett hound, which Charles loved, but it was profoundly uninterested.