Day 359 – Burgen and Trier, Germany; and Luxembourg (by Jim)
Posted by Jim Taylor on Thursday, June 23, 2011
The Events of Sunday, June 19, 2011
Happy Mosel Day! Yes, that is what the signs say. Today is a day to celebrate the Mosel River, right here in our village of Burgen. We learned at the Tourist Information Center (TI) that there are no special events or festivals associated with Happy Mosel Day. Instead, it is a day for walkers and cyclists to enjoy the river. No cars, trucks, or trains allowed from 9 am to 7 pm. Happy Mosel Day!
As I stepped out the door for my morning walk, it started to drizzle. So I walked across the street and down the stairs, into the small garden cottage. Our landlady had informed us that we were welcome to use this room to cook while we are here. Apart from the Weber-style barbecue grill, the cottage is crowded with an assortment of lawn furniture. I found that the light switches had no effect. Happily the rain ended about five minutes later, so I finished my walk under a blue sky. This weather pattern repeated itself many times today.
Our first stop was the city of Trier, where we saw Porta Negra. This huge “Black Gate” used to be red sandstone, but it is now nearly black from exposure to pollutants. These are the oldest and largest Roman ruins in Germany. We walked through the towering gate and took refuge from the rain in the TI, where Ben secured a free city map. In a nearby courtyard we heard singing, so we went out to investigate. A mixed chorus (men and women) finished their set and a men’s chorus began theirs. Like last Sunday’s Messiah sing, the performers outnumbered the audience. Yet it was clear that these folks love to sing, and it was fun to hear them belt out their German songs.
Ben led us to a market square with several old buildings that tell a tale of conflict between the powerful and wealthy bishop and the townspeople. In 1507, the mayor oversaw construction of a new church tower, taller than the bishop’s Cathedral, the oldest church in Germany. On the tower is chiseled the beginning of a verse, bearing a veiled threat to the bishop: “Stay awake and pray.” The bishop added an addition to one of his Cathedral towers and countered with the rest of the verse: “For you never know the hour when the Lord will come.” This is great! A war of words and architecture!
Outside the Cathedral we saw a crowd gathered around a small enclosure. In it a large robotic arm wrote on a huge scroll. The robotic writing and the explanatory placards were in German, so we are not sure exactly what this was that we saw. Then we heard an organ inside St. Peter’s Cathedral, so we entered and listened to the end of a very impressive postlude for the Mass. Afterward we explored the building’s interior and admired the ornately painted organ, clinging to the ceiling between two massive pillars.
Next, Ben led us to a neighboring square that featured a decorative fountain. Nearby was a sign for Bitburger that aroused my curiosity. When we went inside to investigate, Pam announced, “Let’s have lunch. Happy Father’s Day!” It turns out that Ben had led us to this square, not to see the fountain, but to find this German restaurant that serves bratwurst and beer. What a great surprise! We shared two plates of Nürmberger sausage, two plates of Weisswürste (aka bratwurst) with pretzels, and two plates of Rösti (hash browned potatoes topped with ham and melted cheese). And of course, I had a big mug of Bitburger Pils. Unfortunately, we were unable to get the rest of the family their beverage of choice. We asked for six glasses and a pitcher of tap water, but we ended up with six bottles of bottled water. Now if we’re going to pay €2 for a drink, we prefer soft drinks to expensive water. Bummer!
Our van’s fuel gauge said we were getting empty, so on our way to Luxembourg, we stopped for to fill up. What a delight to discover very inexpensive diesel selling for €1.19 a liter, when were used to paying €1.39 and more. While there, we picked up a liter of milk and learned that the seating area to the restaurant has WiFi. Caitlin, our Luxemburg tour guide, asked that we defer using the WiFi until our return trip, which we did.
Luxembourg was fun to explore. At the TI, we learned that they were having a music festival – which explained all the teenagers with band instruments. Caitlin picked up some free maps and led us past the Palace of the Grand Dukes. There we saw a soldier walking back and forth, like at the Tomb of the Unknown in Arlington. We walked along the old town wall, built in the year 963.
When we drove back to the border, we discovered that there was no WiFi on that side of the freeway, and there was no easy way to get back onto the other side that did have WiFi. Rats! While there, Caitlin and Abby ran in to use the restroom through a sudden downpour of rain.
From there, Pam drove into Germany, and while she drove, we experienced the heaviest rainfall of the day. Knowing that the river road would be closed, we tried to get as close to Burgen as we could. Meanwhile, the skies started to clear, and Pam had a kick exploring the narrow cobblestone streets of these Mosel Valley villages in our sports van. At 6:42 we reached the river, where the police officer said we would have to wait until 7:00. Indeed, with stereotypical German precision, the police lifted the barrier at 7:00. So Pam drove us home, and the kids had “linner”.
As for Pam and me, we walked through Burren’s narrow pathways to a special dinner date at the Diwana Restaurant Pizzeria. Pam had Schnitzel Hawaii-Ezpecial (vienerschnitzel topped with ham, pineapple and melted cheese sauce). I picked something I did not recognize: Schweinespiess, which turned out to be a grilled kebab with spicy pork, red pepper, and onion. Both meals came with fries, salad and pizza brot (pizza bread). Again we could get no tap water, so Pam ordered a large Coca-Cola and I tried their dark Hefeweisen (great head, but disappointing body). It was a lovely, slow meal, with no rush. On the return trip, we enjoyed a slow, romantic walk through the narrow cobblestone alleys of our town of Burgen.
Happy Mosel Day! Yes, that is what the signs say. Today is a day to celebrate the Mosel River, right here in our village of Burgen. We learned at the Tourist Information Center (TI) that there are no special events or festivals associated with Happy Mosel Day. Instead, it is a day for walkers and cyclists to enjoy the river. No cars, trucks, or trains allowed from 9 am to 7 pm. Happy Mosel Day!
As I stepped out the door for my morning walk, it started to drizzle. So I walked across the street and down the stairs, into the small garden cottage. Our landlady had informed us that we were welcome to use this room to cook while we are here. Apart from the Weber-style barbecue grill, the cottage is crowded with an assortment of lawn furniture. I found that the light switches had no effect. Happily the rain ended about five minutes later, so I finished my walk under a blue sky. This weather pattern repeated itself many times today.
Our first stop was the city of Trier, where we saw Porta Negra. This huge “Black Gate” used to be red sandstone, but it is now nearly black from exposure to pollutants. These are the oldest and largest Roman ruins in Germany. We walked through the towering gate and took refuge from the rain in the TI, where Ben secured a free city map. In a nearby courtyard we heard singing, so we went out to investigate. A mixed chorus (men and women) finished their set and a men’s chorus began theirs. Like last Sunday’s Messiah sing, the performers outnumbered the audience. Yet it was clear that these folks love to sing, and it was fun to hear them belt out their German songs.
Ben led us to a market square with several old buildings that tell a tale of conflict between the powerful and wealthy bishop and the townspeople. In 1507, the mayor oversaw construction of a new church tower, taller than the bishop’s Cathedral, the oldest church in Germany. On the tower is chiseled the beginning of a verse, bearing a veiled threat to the bishop: “Stay awake and pray.” The bishop added an addition to one of his Cathedral towers and countered with the rest of the verse: “For you never know the hour when the Lord will come.” This is great! A war of words and architecture!
Outside the Cathedral we saw a crowd gathered around a small enclosure. In it a large robotic arm wrote on a huge scroll. The robotic writing and the explanatory placards were in German, so we are not sure exactly what this was that we saw. Then we heard an organ inside St. Peter’s Cathedral, so we entered and listened to the end of a very impressive postlude for the Mass. Afterward we explored the building’s interior and admired the ornately painted organ, clinging to the ceiling between two massive pillars.
Next, Ben led us to a neighboring square that featured a decorative fountain. Nearby was a sign for Bitburger that aroused my curiosity. When we went inside to investigate, Pam announced, “Let’s have lunch. Happy Father’s Day!” It turns out that Ben had led us to this square, not to see the fountain, but to find this German restaurant that serves bratwurst and beer. What a great surprise! We shared two plates of Nürmberger sausage, two plates of Weisswürste (aka bratwurst) with pretzels, and two plates of Rösti (hash browned potatoes topped with ham and melted cheese). And of course, I had a big mug of Bitburger Pils. Unfortunately, we were unable to get the rest of the family their beverage of choice. We asked for six glasses and a pitcher of tap water, but we ended up with six bottles of bottled water. Now if we’re going to pay €2 for a drink, we prefer soft drinks to expensive water. Bummer!
Our van’s fuel gauge said we were getting empty, so on our way to Luxembourg, we stopped for to fill up. What a delight to discover very inexpensive diesel selling for €1.19 a liter, when were used to paying €1.39 and more. While there, we picked up a liter of milk and learned that the seating area to the restaurant has WiFi. Caitlin, our Luxemburg tour guide, asked that we defer using the WiFi until our return trip, which we did.
Luxembourg was fun to explore. At the TI, we learned that they were having a music festival – which explained all the teenagers with band instruments. Caitlin picked up some free maps and led us past the Palace of the Grand Dukes. There we saw a soldier walking back and forth, like at the Tomb of the Unknown in Arlington. We walked along the old town wall, built in the year 963.
When we drove back to the border, we discovered that there was no WiFi on that side of the freeway, and there was no easy way to get back onto the other side that did have WiFi. Rats! While there, Caitlin and Abby ran in to use the restroom through a sudden downpour of rain.
From there, Pam drove into Germany, and while she drove, we experienced the heaviest rainfall of the day. Knowing that the river road would be closed, we tried to get as close to Burgen as we could. Meanwhile, the skies started to clear, and Pam had a kick exploring the narrow cobblestone streets of these Mosel Valley villages in our sports van. At 6:42 we reached the river, where the police officer said we would have to wait until 7:00. Indeed, with stereotypical German precision, the police lifted the barrier at 7:00. So Pam drove us home, and the kids had “linner”.
As for Pam and me, we walked through Burren’s narrow pathways to a special dinner date at the Diwana Restaurant Pizzeria. Pam had Schnitzel Hawaii-Ezpecial (vienerschnitzel topped with ham, pineapple and melted cheese sauce). I picked something I did not recognize: Schweinespiess, which turned out to be a grilled kebab with spicy pork, red pepper, and onion. Both meals came with fries, salad and pizza brot (pizza bread). Again we could get no tap water, so Pam ordered a large Coca-Cola and I tried their dark Hefeweisen (great head, but disappointing body). It was a lovely, slow meal, with no rush. On the return trip, we enjoyed a slow, romantic walk through the narrow cobblestone alleys of our town of Burgen.