Trier, a city rich in history

Cutting our way across the French province of Alsace - Lorraine, it did not take long to reach Metz, where we headed straight north to the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. We found the countryside quite monotonous, without signs indicating where we could turn off for cultural or historical attractions.

Luxembourg is a Grand Duchy whose Duke rules a nation that is 84 km long by 52 km wide. With a population of 500,000, they have developed their own unique language known as Luxembourgisch — a combination of German, French and a bit of English. Since no one else speaks this language, the majority of the people speak at least two other languages as well.

By giving up its century-old guaranteed neutrality which the Swiss still enjoy, it was able to participate in the founding of the European Union. We saw that a lot of the homes and lifestyles are very similar to North America. The thing that struck us the most were the bridges crossing the highways — they are covered with trees. The bridges allow wildlife to cross the highways in a natural environment without the danger of getting hurt. We were told this concept has also been extended into Germany.

Having spent the night in Bettembourg, it took us less than two hours to cross the country.

Trier: city of the Romans since 100 BC, oldest bishop seat in Northern Europe and one of the founders of the Holy Roman Empire. What history! Trier was the early capitol of the Romans and their building known as the Porta Nigra still stands.

There are Roman wall fortifications throughout the city but the most famous ruin is the Coliseum constructed on the same design as in Rome. The entrances are there but the spectators had to sit on the steep, grassed slopes. The stadium is perfectly round, the size of a football field.

Now the amazing part: it is hollow. The wooden floor has a slight mound toward the centre and is only 20 centimetres thick. The whole area is covered in coarse sand. There are two entrances that go under the stadium floor. This area would have housed the slaves and gladiators for the entertainment. Looking into this huge subterranean chamber, you can see all of the massive beams holding up the stadium floor. It was truly a spectacle.

Next stop was the Dom (cathedral) of Trier. Built in AD 250, it is in fact three cathedrals at various levels under one roof. It took a thousand years to build the Dom. The entrances are bigger than some of our small churches in North America. The main portion, or worship area, has a 60-foot (six storey) ceiling. The marble carvings depicting Christ’s activities are beautiful beyond description. In the basement, there is a cemetery for all the past bishops. The architecture, the statues, the sheer size, all left me totally speechless.

Remembering that we were told that all university towns in Germany have a laundromat, we headed off to find one. It was only a block away from the birth place of Karl Marx, founder of communism. His home has his famous profile on it with an inscription of who he was. The two-storey home is a museum today.