Trier

We went to Trier today.  Trier is near the Luxembourg border, and it is the oldest city in Germany, dating back to 16 BCE.  The history there is awesome, with lots of Roman architecture and other artifacts.  The most impressive sight as we entered the city was the Porta Nigra.  The Porta Nigra ("black gate," literally) is the biggest Roman city gate north of the Alps, and it was built around 200 AD.  I can't even really fathom anything that old.  But there it was!

Literally a gate into the marketplace.

Welcome to Trier!

Nate and I

All three of us!

Stopped for a snack... no wonder there's a bakery on every street! So good.

Inside the Porta Nigra

Drawings that show how it has evolved over the centuries.

Nate wondering how they got water all the way up to the top floor.

View from the second floor.

Looking out the window

Looking down out of the gate

Nate and Brooke on the other side!

After the Porta Nigra, we went to the museum.  They had a lot of interesting artifacts and artwork... I took pictures of just a bit of it.

This cross was originally in the middle of the marketplace.  It dates back to 400 AD. 

History of Trier by painting.

Want to take a guess at what this next picture is of?

Nope, not a wardrobe.  A medieval filing cabinet.  Sheesh.

Miniature model of 19th century Trier that took 19 YEARS to put together! Crazy.

This display shows all of the Jewish identity cards for Trier.  

There were 130 of them.

Trier!  So beautiful.

Flower market in front of a gorgeous fountain.

Brooke's excited for cola-bier!

These guys were really good... but they definitely laughed at me as I stood there taking their picture.  Oops.  Oh well. 

This cathedral is the oldest one in Germany!

It was built in the 4th century!

We finally found Karl Marx's house.

All in all, Trier was so much fun.  The history of the place was really incredible, and I'm glad we were able to take a Saturday and visit for the afternoon.  I know there are a lot of pictures in this post, and I'm sorry that you have to scroll through all of that, but I narrowed it down as best I could. :)

My camera broke a few days ago... bummer.  So I used my iPhone today, and it did a pretty good job! When I get back to the States, hopefully Jake will be able to fix whatever is wrong with it... (love you, Jake!)

We're going to a summer bazaar in Kaiserslautern tomorrow, as well as touring where Nate works.  Should be interesting.... I'll keep you posted!  Guten nacht! 

Annie