Cross Country and a Battlefield

Get out your magnifying glass to find the one and only Grand Duchy left in the world, Luxembourg on a map! Again, another transit country to get to France, we never got to take a closer look at this landlocked little thing bordering Germany, Belgium and France.

We know the country is a founding member of the European Union, and it takes about half an hour to cross the country. It has a population of 540,000 who are either rich or seem work in the banking sector in some capacity. Luxembourg is one of the wealthiest countries in the world.

Instead of rushing through, we stopped in Luxembourg town... just long enough to grab a coffee. Ok, maybe not the best reason to visit but there were busloads of tourists arriving, and we didn't want to mingle.

We walked around the block, there are lots of nice little boutiques and stores (not cheap).

But the best feature of Luxembourg is the low cost of fuel. Gas and Diesel is about 20 to 30 Euro cents per liter cheaper than in Germany. If we were to settle in Saarland, we would cross the border every time to refill.

Who wouldn't want to smile at that?

 Or even party?

We continued our journey, and almost unnoticed we crossed the border to Belgium, before we entered France a few kilometers after.

 Our picnic area.

 Typically French architecture.

 Verdun Memorial

 WWI cannon

 A Battlefield. A town annihilated. So many lived destroyed.

 Douaumont Ossuary

 When will we ever learn?

A newer Beemer GS lightening up the scenery.

 A Guzzi hack!

We leave this horrifying place and hit the road again.

Another stop for necessities in Toul. 

Below the town hall.

 The cathedral in Toul.

 Are you looking at me?

 Roland devouring a chocolate croissant.

Now heading towards the Vosges.

 The weather is against us.

 No vista at the peak.

 Back in the valley the sunshine returns!

 Kaysersberg.

 A vineyard close to Colmar, our final destination for today.

 Hopefully the weather will improve again. The Vosges are waiting to be conquered.

What have the Romans ever done for us?

Yesterday evening we arrived at a popular tourist destination. Located on the banks of the river Mosel this city was founded over 2,000 years ago by the Romans under the name Augusta Treverorum, today: Trier(Treves).

Hauptmarkt Trier (main market)

Its Latin name proves the importance for the Roman empire. The town was named after Augustus, the emperor.

Trier was huge, as this model grabbed from Wikimedia shows, and it had everything, from spas to amphitheaters. In short through invasion and occupation the Romans brought civilization to the rest of Europe...

Source

REG: All right, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?  (Quote from the brilliant movie Life of Brian, video snippet --> here) 

We arrived on a busy weekend and got the last room in the hotel Römischer Kaiser (Roman Emperor), which had a partial view of the Porta Nigra, a UNESCO World Heritage (on the upper right side). The hotel was spot on in the city center, adjacent to the Roman gate. The room was great, and super clean, and the breakfast excellent.

All important sights are in walking distance. The Porta Nigra is built from grey sandstone, hence the name.

Although heavily destroyed in the WWII some buildings survived or could be restored. We strolled through the pedestrian zone. Again the Roman gate dominating the background.

Foundation for this building was laid in 1230. Today it features an excellent ice cream parlor on the ground floor (We had sorbet...)

A different style of well restored Fachwerk (half timbered) houses.

Fountain and another building pretty in pink.

Cathedral of Trier, another World Heritage site on the left, and the Liebfrauenkirche on the right.

Built on the foundation of Roman buildings.

Destroyed and restored a few times.

It's not old really, built around the 13th century, or so.

The Basilica of Constantine, built in the 4th century, was equipped with a wall and floor heating system!!!

What could this be? A vinothek (wine tasting room) of course.

Roland gathering some energy in order to survive the second part of the sightseeing tour.

Although already impressed by the variety of buildings and their architecture, there was still more to discover...

The Kaiserthermen (Imperor's Bath / Spa) - Bathing was very important to the Romans, and was done in public bathrooms, where they relaxed, socialized, gambled or attended to their businesses, butt-naked...

They even had hot water back in the days... Some more information about this (yet another world heritage site) can be found here.

We were exhausted, and when the light faded we went back to our hotel. We didn't have more time left in our travel schedule but will be back another day to learn more about what the Romans have done to us...

(El Diente, you might find this information helpful in case you need a plan B...)