With the weather turning so nice, it's time to get out and see more of the area. The kids are out of school for Spring Break, and the hubby said he could take off this week, too, so I started planning a little something. After all, how much could we see between Monday to Thursday? Heh, heh, heh....Just wait!
On Monday morning, our gang loaded up the car and headed out to Spang (Spangdahlem AFB, Germany). I figured this out very carefully, so with our "base camp" for the week at Spang, we could see a lot of Germany in very little time. Props to TLF there, by the way! It was fantastic! After checking in, we drove off to check out the city of Trier, Germany's oldest city. Trier's history begins around the middle of 10BC, around 1,300 years before Rome. First stop in the city...the Imperial Baths (Kaisertherman). They were built under Emperor Constantine in the first half of the 4th century, but were never used for their intended purpose.
There were lower levers to the Baths, too, and you could explore most of them.
Constantine's successors completely remodeled the baths after he left them uncompleted.
Near the Imperial Baths is the Electoral Palace. It's absolutely beautiful. Just behind it on the left, you can see the Roman Basilica peeking out.
There are lots of sculptures on the grounds surrounding the Palace. They were done by F. Tietz. I'm not sure if he didn't like kids, or if he just had his own ideas about child rearing. It seems like a strange way to hold a kid! Lots of the statutes featured kids crying or being held in strange ways.
(Proof that we were actually there!)
These fountains near the Palace were not only beautiful, but then also ended in a lovely little cafe where we stopped for a cool drink. They also had delicious looking cakes, if you happen to find yourself in the area!
This is the Roman Basilica, also known as Aula Palatina. Emperor Constantine had it built in the early 4th century.
I thought this building was beautiful.
This is the the Trier Cathedral (left side) and the Church of Our Lady (right side), and they originate from a double church built in 4th Century. Legend has it that they were built on the site of a former residential palace of Empress Helena (later St. Helena).
Churches and cathedrals are my favorite things to explore in Europe. The architecture is so amazing, inside and out.
There is a huge pipe organ high on the left side of the cathedral.
These archways were along the side of the inner courtyard of the church and cathedral.
This is a look at the inner courtyard. It was so peaceful, with the birds chirping and the breeze softly blowing.
Here is another look at the courtyard. You can see the arches that form the outside of the walkway in the earlier picture.
This is the main square or Market Place of Trier.
The Porta Niagra (Black Gate) is Triers most famous landmark. It's the biggest surviving city gate north of the Alps, and was built near the end of the 2nd century. It's the Northern gate of the city walls that were originally 6.4 km long. No mortar was used in the construction, and the stone blocks were held together with iron clamps cast into place with lead. The gate got it's name after the light sandstone blocks turned gray with age.
You can climb up in the Porta Niagra, and you are rewarded with a fantastic view of the city of Trier.
Trier was a beautiful city with lots of interesting history. We had a great time exploring it. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day, either. What a great Monday...but the week's not over yet...
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