When in Germany...

After a quick lunch in Reims, France, the family loaded back up in the car and headed to our first real destination: Trier, Germany.
The drive out of France took a while, and I admit that I dozed off a few times. But the times I was awake, my eyes were wide open and I couldn't help but to notice that heading out of France and toward Germany, everything began to look different. There were fewer rolling hills and more rivers, and the landscape was much greener and more lush. On our way to Germany we passed through Luxemburg (truly an itty bitty country). As we drove, the roads narrowed and we passed charming river towns. Vibrant houses perched on every surface of the far-off hills. I wish we could have paused in Luxemburg, because it seemed delightful. That will be for another time!

We began to drive a little further, and by this time late afternoon was falling. We had been awake for hours and hours and everyone was a little road-worn. We finally arrived at our hotel, which was not in Trier, but a little township of Trier. This being said, there was not a tourist in sight. Everything was so German.
Now, I have never been particularly interested in Germany.  It seemed like a cool place with rich history, but the culture never particularly appealed to me. When we arrived in the little Trier township, this opinion changed drastically. Germany is charming, the food is amazing and the people are very kind. Luckily our host at the hotel spoke a little bit of English, so we were able to get our hotel room and order food.

After we got settled in our hotel rooms, we walked around the town for a bit. We planned on finding a restaurant to eat dinner at, but the town was pretty much dead around 5pm (we weren't yet aware of the fact that dinner time in Europe is practically our bed time in the States). We were also exhausted and none of us were too keen on roaming for blocks. We snapped a few photos and headed back to our hotel, which was conveniently attached to a bar/restaurant.

The view of the railroad from my hotel window

My delicious meal "mit fritten" (with fries)

At the restaurant, the menu was completely in German. Since I was not enthusiastic about the idea of German food at all, I was none too pleased. I just planned on ordering a brat or something. Luckily, the English speaking host from the hotel (who was also our waitress, go figure) was able to translate a few of the items on the menu for us. We hesitantly ordered our food. My mom, dad and sister chickened out and ordered chicken (see what I did there?) while Doug and I stepped out of our comfort zones and ordered unfamiliar dishes. The food arrived and to our surprise, it was delicious. I ordered deep-fried pork with mushrooms and a vinegary gravy, which came with amazing beer-battered french fries. When I got back from Europe, several people asked me what the best thing I ate was. This meal was definitely it!

That night after dinner, I was so exhausted that after not being able to keep my eyes open any longer, I went to bed at 7:30. I can't remember the last time that happened! Anyway, the next day we finally got to visit Trier. Trier, also called Treves, is the oldest city in Germany. Two of Trier's most noteworthy landmarks are the Cathedral of Trier and the Porta Nigra. The Porta Nigra is a relic from ancient Roman history. The giant structure stood, at one time, as a gate of the city. Unfortunately, my camera battery died just after snapping some shots of The Cathedral of Trier, which was equally breathtaking.

Side of the Cathedral of Trier

Dad posing with a giant ice cream cone

Staci reviewing some great shots

I loved all the classic German architecture

The Porta Nigra

Next I will be posting about our journey to Belgium and all the sights we saw along the way! I hope you all had a fantastic weekend!

As we were walking around Trier, it began to rain which seemed to add to the authenticity of the German city. Not to mention I love rain! Aside from the enormous landmarks, the city was fun to explore and the German architecture was fun to look at. Being with my favorite people definitely added to the charm. I loved the time we spent in Germany and I definitely hope to go back.