Bonn – the former capital of West Germany

Bonn used to be the seat of power when it was the capital of West Germany. Today it has reduced in significance but still has its own charm. It is now more of a university town with a lot of young population.

I walked around the city, taking in the famous Rathaus or Town Hall whose balcony is the most photographed with visiting foreign dignitaries on state visits.

The Rathaus

Bonn is also the birthplace of Beethoven.

The Electoral Prince's castle or Schloss is now the home of the University of Bonn.

On the outskirts of Bonn is Petersberg which was the seat of the Allied High Commission for Germany. It was also the venue for many important conferences like the EU conference of foreign ministers and has been the guesthouse of Federal Government. It has great views of the river and Bonn city.

To get there, I would recommend you take the car ferry across the river as that was the mode of the transport used by Adenaur (the first Chancellor of Germany) to and from work.

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.