Zipping through Germany

Our high-octane tourist mode continued after Madrid, into Germany. While we visit Germany yearly, we have not made time to be a tourist there. What do you explore as a tourist in Germany? Castles! And, yes, Romans!

Moselle

The part of the Moselle river valley that snakes its way through Germany is beautiful countryside. The narrow, steep-sided valley, dotted with castle ruins, covered with terraced vineyards, anchored by the river, makes for a meandering and scenic drive. Our route took us from Frankfurt airport, along the river, to the town of Trier. We planned to visit two “Burgs” on the way and to explore the town of Trier.

Burgs

A Burg is so much more than a “castle.” They were medieval fortifications, serving military defense, territorial and social control, and the center of power and commerce. Many of these buildings are fallen-down heaps of rubble, many are impressive ruins or semi-ruins, and some are beautifully and wholly maintained (or restored). Driving along the river, “Look, there’s a castle!” went from exclamation to refrain.

Our first stop: Burg Eltz. A fortification well before, the first documented mention of Burg Eltz dates to 1157; since then in the ownership of the same family. Reached after a substantial stroll through forested lands, modernity diminishes as the fortress comes into sight. Following our guide, it was fun to ‘walk through history’ and explore meeting rooms, living rooms, rooms dedicated to hunting and to weaponry, and a kitchen. Photos of the inside are not permitted. Keeps tourists from walking into things.

We spent our first night in the town of Cochem, a small town of about 5,000, that might as well be purpose-built to appeal to the visiting tourist. The half-timbered architecture of oldtown is quintessentially quaint, the streets narrow and cobbled. Thankfully, tourist season wasn’t yet in high gear.

Towering over the town is the Reichsburg Cochem, which we toured the following day. Construction on this Burg also started in the 12^th century and it was subsequently important in politics and trade. In 1689, it was destroyed by the French and sat in ruin until the 1870s, when a rich businessman from Berlin had it rebuilt. Again, a full tour, covering lots of history and artifacts, was fun and educational.

Trier

The next stop, Trier, was the highlight for me (Erik). I have memories of visiting the Roman bath ruins here from when I was a kid. The fact that there was in-floor heat then left the most lasting impression. And, I’m still impressed. For a while, Trier was an imperial capital of the Western Roman Empire. Many traces remain of its central role that lasted a few centuries. Accompanied by some longtime friends, we explored the rest of the city, a number of impressive churches, Karl Marx' birthhouse, and the Porta Nigra, the city wall gate left over from Roman times.

Strasbourg

Next stop: Strasbourg. (Oi! "If it’s Tuesday, this must be Belgium". Our normal travel habits have us spoiled, in that we usually have lots of time to explore places.) Two evenings and a day means that we lucked into two lovely restaurants and enjoyed some lovely food. The French reputation for outstanding food is well-deserved. I was convinced that we had picked our restaurant well when, at the table next to ours, arrived a very elegant and determined lady, clearly local and clearly well-known to the restaurant’s staff. Live like a local while traveling is a myth, but sometimes you get to visit their restaurants. The city is charming, with its covered bridges, half-timbered architecture, grand imperial buildings, and an amazing cathedral (again, childhood memories were vivid). Our hotel room had an incredibly charming view of old town, including the cathedral spires. On departure day, we made an early morning visit to Parc de l'Orangerie, a beautiful park dominated by a grand pavilion (to store the orange trees), made most surprising by the fact that every elevated, more or less flat surface, was home to the aerie (nest) of a stork couple. Elegant and gracious, these clattering birds were fascinating and provided much entertainment.

The Village

From Strasbourg, we made it back to Germany, to spend time visiting my (Erik’s) mom in the village where I spent most of my teens. Hindelang remains a beautiful, if exceedingly tranquil, place. Our visit was sprinkled with time spent with my brother and his husband, as well as uncles and aunts, and with dinners spent catching up with two friends from high school. And there was a visit to Neuschwanstein, another castle! More modern than the prior ones, a principal claim to fame is that the castle is said to have inspired the Disney castle aesthetic.

After the village, and a night at the Munich airport, we were off to visit Minnesota! The Germany tourism was fun and intensely historical, and the visit of younger-self memories became especially poignant when facing how waning such memories can become.