Summer Holiday, Part II: Germany

First stop on our road trip was Trier, Germany, the oldest city in Germany (dating back to 16 B.C.!!!)

Trier is a 2-hour drive from Brussels and lies near the Luxembourg border. I had never heard of this place and was pleasantly surprised at how many beautiful sights there were within the city. We stopped by to see such sights as the Porta Nigra (Black Gate), the adjoining marketplace and the Trier Dom (Cathedral). One interesting fact about the Dom is that it houses the Holy Tunic, the actual robe that Jesus Christ was wearing when he was crucified. Jo was quite moved to see the beautiful chamber where the robe was protected and stored in. We also walked through the beautiful Electoral Palace gardens and spent some time checking out Kaiserthermen, the extensive ruins of a 4th century Roman-style bath.

Jo Ann had booked for us the Hotel Karlsmuhle, which was this cozy little "bed and breakfast"property, just outside of town, complete with its own horse stables and a winery.

Our room had just enough room for two twin beds (pushed together), a small bathroom (think RV-size) and a 13-inch TV. And that's about it. The girls loved the cozy room and the thought of sharing the same sleeping area with mommy and daddy. I, on the other hand, couldn't believe there was no room for an extra crib and a rollaway bed.

Dinner was traditional German faire, served at the hotel's restaurant. We sat outside in the patio, next to the mountain stream and a real live water wheel. After dinner, a short walk along the hotel grounds was just the ticket to relax and get into "vacation" mode...

We all slept together in the same bed, mommy on the end, D and P in the middle (snug as "bugs in a rug") and daddy hanging off the other end with no blanket. And, if I am not mistaken, I even think I heard a rooster crowing at dawn!

However, it was probably one of the nicest experiences that we have had as a family. I don't get enough of watching the girls sleeping peacefully, quietly and still, so that was a treat for me. (Usually they are running around like wild animals...)

The next day, we drove another couple of hours along Germany's "Castle route" to Heidelberg, Germany. We made sure to stop and climb the 330 steps up to where Heidelberg Castle was built. We were rewarded with a spectacular view of the River Neckar, the Alte Brucke (old bridge) and the Altstadt (old town). We stopped for a few moments to take some pictures and have lunch before checking out the inside of the castle.

When I see some of these beautiful and historical sites, I am saddened to think how many others were destroyed during the wars fought in Europe. Luckily, Heidelberg was spared destruction during World War II because it was not considered an industrial or military target.

Our hotel in Heidelberg was a traditional "Western-style" Marriott hotel, complete with an executive lounge. The girls have become somewhat spoiled by our visits to executive lounges and sometimes I think they expect to relax, have some drinks and Hors d'oeuvres before dinner!

We retired early that night, with just a light dinner in our room. The following day, we checked out and headed off towards Nuremberg, Germany.

Nuremberg was another city where we really didn't know what to expect. We chose to stop here because logistically, it made sense. It was just the right distance between Heidelberg and the Czech Republic, so we decided to overnight it here.

We were pleasantly surprised to discover another beautiful city with plenty of sights to see. After a quick lunch of Chicken durums (kinda like a burrito) and pitas, we headed off to explore the old town of Nuremberg. What is charming about this old town is that it is still surrounded by most of the medieval town wall and gates (the fat round towers), which were originally 5 kilometers (3 miles) long. Today, only about 4 kilometers of the wall and 4 of the original 5 gates are still standing.

We stopped by such sights as St. Lorenz Church, the Hauptmarkt (marketplace) and the Fleischbrucke bridge (see picture below). Nuremberg also had its own castle, which we later drove by.


There was plenty of shopping to do here, from small trinkets, gingerbread cookies and handmade toys to big ticket items like Louis Vuitton and Hermes. In fact, Jo said she saw something she wanted for Christmas. (it must have been those gingerbread cookies!)

Dinner was at Nordsee, a casual restaurant featuring some very good seafood at reasonable prices. The funny thing about Nordsee is that you might see several in the same shopping area, sometimes right across from each other. And, we have noticed that they always don't offer the same dishes. Still trying to figure that one out...

We left Germany with many great memories of some new discoveries. The next day, it was on towards Prague, Czech Republic...