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Published: April 21st 2014
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Welcome to the City of Trier ! WOW ! I must admit that I am not usually short of vocabulary in French and also English after spending the past 20 years living abroad, but the interjection WOW is not the first thing to come to my mind usually, except for the City of Trier...
If Metz was only a name on a map to me until I discovered this beautiful town, the City of Trier was even more obscure bringing back distant memories of History & Geography lessons at school et a few references in some of the books I read about the 16th century in recent years.
Beautiful encounters are often the result of coincidence and this is my Friend Diane who, knowing how much I enjoy travelling and discovering the architecture and history of places - both the History with a capital H and the anecdotes that often go with it - first suggested to me a visit of the historic town of Sarrebruck which I will soon present to you in my Christmas Markets Special, and the City of Trier, both located in Germany.
And it is finally on October 24th, that I
decided to go to Trier, while enjoying one of the last beautiful Autumn days with an average temperature of 19° celcius.
I mainly travel by train which is rather cheap here in a region at the crossing of 3 if not 4 countries, and which put destinations such as Metz, Nancy, Luxembourg City or Sarrebruck for a little less than a 20 Euros return train ticket. So this is by train that I travelled to Trier via Sarrebruck and I must say that the journey by train is one of the most visually beautiful and scenic that I ever made as the train makes its way winding along the German part of the river Moselle and its magnificent valley featuring woods and as the train approaches Trier, vineyards on steep slopes which overlook the Rhénanie Palatinat most famous City and make the whole region the Riesling wine paradise with great wines such as the Brauneberger Juffer Sonnenuhr ou le Erderner Prälat.
A wonderful display of unspoiled natural beauty for the hour that takes the train journey to Trier.
From the train station or "Haupt Bahnhof" I walked along the boulevard Théodore Heuss lined with late 19th early
20th century building where nothing prepare us for the wonders of a city, yet so close.
Ariived in front of the Porta Nigra, as imposing as mysterious partly due to its dominant black colour, remain of the Roman era, my attention got caught by colorful sculptures of éléphants, already spotted in Luxembourg City and which are part of the Elephant Parade association which helps and protects the Asian éléphants, exhibited in two lines in front of the Tourist Office where I took a map of the City.
And as I walked down Simeon Strasse which leads to the historic heart of the city, I noticed a few beautiful buildings painted in delicate pastel colours with ornate embellishments, and lost in my photography, I did not yet realise that I was just a few meters away of a vision of architectural beauty like I had not seen in years, although years filled with a few amazing discoveries.
Pretty front walls, a great selection of boutiques, of course tourists, and suddenly the sublime silhouette of the architectural ensemble of the Hauptmarkt Platz or Grand Market Place which arises in all its splendour, a vision of absolute beauty !
Later one, while sitting at a terrace enjoying a pint of beer, I looked at a postcard which said above a picture of the Hauptmarkt Platz "Trier Deutschlands älteste und schönste stadt", "Trier, Germany's oldest and prettiest town", and in my own humble opinion, it most certainly is.
Karim
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