Trip to Trier

A couple of weekends ago we took a day trip to Germany's oldest city, Trier, founded by the Romans in some year B.C. Germany loves windmills, and there were plenty to see along the way.
The first thing we came to and explored was Porta Nigra. It was really cool! There were original, ornate, religious carvings engraved into the sides of walls, now protected by plastic casings. Their age shows as men's heads have fallen off, and the inscriptions are almost illegible (and in another language). Check out the view from the top!
After hitting the gate, we wandered around the square, went into St. Gangolf Church (the church's spire is seen in the middle of the picture), bought Italian ice cream cones, and ogled at (and bought) souvenirs. I have a favorite vendor. She sells cuckoo clocks, dolls, maps, postcards, steins and mugs, and other very cool German treasures. I bought a very small, cute cuckoo clock. I have started my collection!
Later we went to the oldest church in Germany, the Trier Cathedral (the church on the left in the above pic). If only there were a way to describe the detail of the ceilings, walls, buttresses, carvings, even the floors! It was the most beautiful church I've seen. And it's not just a church: it also hides secret lairs--there are passageways everywhere. We eventually found ourselves in a cemetery courtyard, then under the main floor of the church for more carvings, graves, and worship places. I have so many pictures, I'll only post a couple of my favorites (and I know my dad will love the pipe organ!).
After the Catholic church, we hit a Protestant church called Aula Palatina. Although it was beautiful, it didn't have the same feel or look as the Trier Cathedral. It was one HUGE room. Because my pictures ended up being too dark, click here to see what it looks like inside.
We passed the Palace of Trier (picture to the right) on our way to the last stop, the Roman baths. Not to kick history in the pants, but at this point, the best thing about the baths was this: The Great Roman Foot (I named it). We lucked out with perfect weather for our first trip away. We had a great time and took way too many pictures to know what to do with!