Day 3: Burg Eltz Castle and Roman Trier. We'll drive along the scenic Mosel River, stopping to tour the mighty Burg Eltz Castle. In the afternoon, we'll visit Germany's oldest city, pedestrian-friendly Trier. We'll sleep just over the hills in the old resort town of Baden-Baden.
Today we met Joop, our bus driver for the tour—such a simple title for someone with many responsibilities. Joop got us safely from one place to the other, kept the bus comfortable, and was helpful at every turn. (That's a bus joke right there.)
We chugged up and out of the Rhine River Valley and into rolling fields. We had brought books and games to entertain us on the bus, but nothing beat the pleasure of watching the beautiful German countryside roll by outside the window.
Our first stop was the Burg Eltz Castle.
We parked the bus in the parking lot and strolled down into a wooded valley. The outside of the castle was imposing, but the inside had small, warm rooms with beautiful flower arrangements by the duchess.
After the tour, we hiked back up through the woods to the bus, where Joop had set out a selection of German pastries. We had our refreshments and then hit the road towards Trier.
On the bus ride to Trier, Margaret gave a fascinating history of the city. It is the oldest city in Germany, founded around 15BC and used by Constantine the Great as the capital of the Holy Roman Empire. Listening to Margaret, I was transported back to the Holy Roman Empire, with names like Augusta Treverorum rolling around on my tongue. My daydreams were pinpricked away by reality as we pulled into Trier, a thriving modern city. We parked the bus and made our way to the Basilica of Constantine. Now a church, this is the largest single room that has survived from Roman times. It's huge! I enjoyed the simplicity of the structure—sturdy and functional.
After taking in the Basilica, we had lunch and then went off to the Bishop's Museum, which contained the most fascinating exhibit I've ever seen. It was a restored 1800-year-old ceiling fresco. The fresco was originally part of an imperial palace, but the Trier Cathedral was built on top of the palace in the 3rd century. In 1945, this ceiling fresco was rediscovered, broken into tiny pieces—70,000 of them. Like the largest jigsaw puzzle in the world, the fresco was recreated over decades by a group of what was obviously very patient people.
We walked back towards the bus, stopping for a gelato and then passing through the mighty Porta Nigra along the way. The Porta Nigra was built in Roman times (about 200 AD) and was one of four gates that was used to guard the entrances to Trier. Of the four, it is the only gate still standing. Oh, if those stones could talk!
By evening, Joop had guided the bus safely to Baden Baden and we were ensconced in another lovely hotel. Margaret took us on a walking tour of Baden Baden, conveniently stopping at the Biergarten, right as the dinner hour came to pass. We shared a satisfying meal of wiener schneitzel and beer with other tour members, except for Chris, who bravely ordered Matjes Hausfrauenart—herring drowned in sour cream. Chris discovered many delicious German dishes during this trip... but this was not one of them. Next stop: Baden Baden!
