PK, Part II: Trier and Some Luxembourg

Two weekends ago, I traveled sans Ceej to Trier, a German city with roots in the Roman Empire. It was a wonderful weekend, with great weather and a surprisingly relaxed itinerary, for a Madame Delsemme trip.

We first stopped in Luxembourg to see the cemetery and memorial of the 5,076 American soldiers killed in the Grand Duchy during WWII, most during the Battle of the Bulge.



I have seen many memorials. This was by far the most humbling, and I have never felt so grateful.




Just 1.5 km away was the German counterpart, where 10,913 soldiers lay at rest. There was a real contrast between the two cemeteries. The German one was evidently built with much weaker (post-war) funding, and stars of David were nowhere to be found. The cross was the German cemetery's unabashed centerpiece; at the American cemetery, it was the flag.



Boo, I have an 8.30 class tomorrow. This post is to be continued…

EDIT!

Remind me never to take a class that early again. I'm glad today was the last one.

Anyway. Once in Trier, we explored the city's Roman ruins. We saw an amphitheater that used to host gladiator games and beast battling (double alliteration!). Today, they hold concerts, operas, and reenactments there, resulting in an ugly half-assembled stage and scaffolding marring the incredible view. Nonetheless, it was a very cool place with fab acoustics. Madame Delsemme whispered to us from the middle of the arena while we sat in the stands, and we could hear every word.

We also popped over to the baths, where we learned about Roman hair removal. After that was the Porta Nigra, a city gate built around 200 AD. Check the wiki page for some good pictures of its outside, since I only took pictures from the inside (whoops)…




My most lasting memory from Trier's Roman relics, though, will be of this winged phallus windchime. For a more explicit photo, check out the album!



In addition to a Roman history, what makes Trier special is its wine industry. The town is surrounded by vineyards, with grapes planted on steep hills dotted with dandelions. This provides for bodacious scenery.




A delicious wine tasting was the perfect way to end our last trip together. We learned all the necessary steps: check the color in the sunlight, swirl and sniff, slurp, and sip!




Between wines, we cleansed our palates with good German bread. (That's the charming Delsemme herself, wearing pink.)



Trier was an enchanting, colorful little city. I wouldn't be surprised if I traveled back there one day. After all, I never did get to ride the tourist train!