Trier and Bernkastel

 

We are traveling on the AmaCerto, another one of those river boats (I've been told I am supposed to call them ships, but oh well). The particular cruise we are doing is called Europe's Rivers and Castles.  We will be on three different rivers - the Moselle, the Rhine and the Main.  Each one of these rivers had a very differene distinct feel. The Moselle - a smaller river but home to Riesling Wine, The Rhine - 32 miles with 35 castles (or maybe 35 miles and 32 castles) and the Main, a very small, very rural feel.  

We came aboard in the afternoon, got settled in our staterooms and attended the mandatory safety meeting. After dinner and an evening classical concert, I came back to my room to find the customary chocolate on the pillowcases. Yup, I think I am going to like this. It seems that I am going to have to get used to everybody calling me Ma'am or Miss Cindy. Around 5am, the ship set sail for our first stop in Trier.

Trier is considered the oldest city in Germany and is often called 'Rome of the North'.  It was founded in the 4^th century BC. We are here to see the Porta Nigra (Black Gate), a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Built in 170AD, the Porta Nigra was one of four city gates which stood on each side of the Roman city. It is amazing that this gate has stood for such a long time and is in really great shape. Well, actually it has been remodeled a few times over the years, the last time by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1802. Still.....

Porta Nigra

See that statue up on the hill, left side.  It is of the Virgin Mary. 
They light up the statue at night, just the statue, not the stand. 
They say that it looks like Mary is up there floating around. 

Saint Peter's Cathedral in Trier is the oldest church in Germany and another UNESCO World Heritage Site.    It was commisioned by Emperor Constantine the Great in the early fourth century , destroyed by the Franks, rebuilt, destroyed by the Vikings in 882 and rebuilt in the 11th century.  One of the relics that the Cathedral contains is "The Seamless Robe of Jesus", the robe that it is said Jesus wore shortly before his crucifixion.  I thought that would be an amazing sight to see so we went looking for it in the Cathedral.  Came to find out that the last time it was on public view was in 2012.  

The part on the right was built several centuries later than the side on the left.
  Gothic was evidently trendy in the 13th century. 

After our morning excursions, we motored on down the Moselle River.  

Schloss Lieser
Built as a residence in the late 1800's, this is now a 49-room hotel.

Thirty one miles down the Moselle, we came to Bernkastel.  The town center, complete with a town square is full of half-timbered houses.  The guide told us that half-timbered houses indicated that this town was a middle-class town.  Rich people built their houses out of stone, poor people had no houses.  

Does this not look like you imagined German towns to look like?

During Christmas time, this house serves as the town's Advent Calendar.
Every day a new window would open and there would be much singing and merriment.  

At one time, houses were taxed according to how much frontage they had on the street. 
This guy built his upstairs much larger than the downstairs to avoid taxes.