Trier – The ancient capital of the Roman Empire in the West

The ancient town of Trier dates back to around 16 BC, making it the oldest city in Germany. It used to be the capital of the Western part of the Roman Empire. The influences of the Romans can still be seen. Today it has not only cultural and historical significance but also religious and is one of the holy sites for Catholics (though I was unaware of the same till I visited).

Some of the important sites in Trier:

• The Porta Nigra is the best preserved Roman city gate north of the Alps.
• The Roman Baths, some of which are the largest north of the Alps.
• The Constantine Basilica which was the 67m long throne hall of Roman Emperor Constantine. However today it is used as a Protestant church.
• The Trier Cathedral or Dom St. Peter, a Roman Catholic church which dates back to Roman times. It is home to the Holy Tunic, a garment with a recorded history back to the 12th century, in Catholic tradition said to be the robe Jesus was wearing when he died. It is only exhibited every few decades, at irregular intervals.
• The Liebfrauenkirche (Church of Our Lady), which is one of the most important early Gothic cathedrals in Germany and falls into the architectural tradition of the French Gothic cathedrals.
• The Roman amphitheatre.
  
  
  

The imposing Porta Nigra

Vineyards

View of the city

Vineyards, the amphitheatre and the Roman baths

Cute buildings

The market square

The Constantine Basilica

The palace

The Imperial Baths

Christian religious symbols

The Trier cathedral

The altar and the site of the Holy Tunic

The beautiful ceiling

The courtyard

The Church of our Lady

Cochem – a pretty pretty town on the river Moselle

My visit to Cochem was totally unplanned. I had finished visiting Trier and was on an earlier train back to Cologne when my friend Chi Mee called and said - Get off at Cochem when the train pulls into the station at 5 pm. You must see it. It is very beautiful.

And truly it was.............

The beautiful Moselle

The castle dominates the landscape

Quaint interesting town

The castle is famous for its falconry

The views of the Moselle from the castle

This region is famous for its wine.

You can do tours of the vineyards from Cochem.

You can also do cruises on the Moselle from Cochem.

A lovely town.

Koblenz – BUGA 2011 – The Horticultural Show

Koblenz makes a great day trip from Cologne. It is a major rail junction so there are frequent trains and is easy to get to from Cologne.

As with all German towns, this too had a palace which was the entrance to the horticultural show. BUGA or Bundesgartenschau as it is called, is a prestigious event for this region as the horticultural show is held once in 2 years and luckily for me it was being held near Cologne.

The show was held across 48 hectares at the Electoral Palace, the Ehrenbreitstein fortress and the Blumenhof courtyard. I wandered along the various flower beds – rhododendron, tulips, giant poppies and others that I came across for the first time. There was a lovely walk along the river to the cable car where one then boarded to make the journey across the Rhine river to the Ehrenbreitstein fortress on the hill. The views of the town, the Rhine and the Moselle from the top of the fortress were breathtaking. I had lunch at one of the cafes before heading back to the German corner.

The German corner or Deutsches Eck is situated at the confluence of the Rhine and the Moselle and has been called the "Most beautiful corner of Germany". There is a huge statue of Emperor William I on horseback which dominates the corner and is the ideal setting for a relaxed evening where you can easily watch the world and river traffic go by.

The continuation of the show at St. Castor's Church was impressive. Never did find out the significance of the hat, coat and shoes kept on every pew!! But I loved the tree made of eggshells and the simple décor of the interiors.

All in all, Koblenz is a pretty town hosting a mega event that will continue to draw visitors over the next few months.

The Electoral Palace

The beautiful colourful flowers

For the first time, the palace was open to the public.

Interesting

Another view of the impressive palace.

The view along the river.

The other face of the impressive palace

Colourful BUGA 2011

God's creation is inimitable!

The view of the river and city from the fortress

The German corner and the confluence of the Rhine and the Moselle

St Castor's Church

The German corner and the statue of Emperor William I

I love the colours.

Another view of the German corner from the cable car.