Cologne

We made a day-trip with Harmony's family to Cologne (Köln), which is about a 2-hour drive from our home. Cologne is home to the second largest cathedral in Germany and the fifth largest church in the world (it is 516ft in height). The construction on this Gothic cathedral lasted from 1248 to 1880. This is apparently the most visited landmark in all of Germany, per Wikipedia. For just a few euros, we were given the privilege of climbing the stairs all the way up to the spires. What a workout!

(L) A view of the Rhine River from the top of the cathedral (R) One of the main doors to the cathedral

Cologne is also home to the Lindt "chocolate factory" and museum. It did not seem like the factory produced much chocolate so we suspect it was more just for show for the tourists. Lindt has a factory in Zurich, Switzerland, which is where we traveled last weekend (more to come on that trip.)

(L) Heading into the Lindt museam (R) Jack admiring chocolate bunnies

(Above) The chocolate factory -- Jack was keenly interested in the chocolate churner

(Above) Jack and Lucas enjoying the free samples

(Above) That is one freakin' large chocolate truffle!

Trier

After visiting Burg Eltz, we drove less than 2 hours to Trier, where we spent the night. Trier is Germany's oldest city. It lies just a few kilometers from the border with Luxembourg. Trier was part of the Roman Empire- it was founded by Augustus in 16 B.C. There are signs of Roman heritage all over the city.

(Above) The Porta Nigra is the north gate of what remains of Roman fortifications around the city. It survived the millennia because it was used as a church for a long period after the fall of Rome.

(Above) A view of the city from inside the Porta Nigra

(Above) St. Peter's Cathedral, the oldest Christian church in Germany. Construction on this church began in 326 A.D.

(L) Brittany, Jaxon, Barbara, and Aaron at the central market (R) Jack and Lucas waiting with Aunt Brittany for a pasta dinner. We had to bribe Lucas with gelato after he finished his dinner to keep him quiet while the rest of us ate.

(L) Jack was impressed with the big foot. (R) Not a bad family photo for a auto-timer snapshot from a rock on the ground.

(Above) The inside of the Konstantin Basilica. This is the largest intact Roman structure outside of Rome. The Emperor Constantine sat on a throne in this building. It was badly damaged in WWII

(Above) What remains of the imperial baths, which were built by Constantine. These are the most intricate Roman baths in the world; however, they apparently never worked quite properly. Jack had a wonderful time looking for "ghosts" inside the underground tunnels.

Luxembourg City

After visiting the American and German WWII cemeteries, we stopped through Luxembourg City to see the old part of town. Luxembourg City is actually pretty small with a population of less than 100,000. The view of the old city was incredible as it was traversed by a river and edged by some cliffs. Military fortifications, called casemates, were built into the cliffs during the 17th century. There were dozens of kilometers of tunnels built within the stone cliffs that were used for defensive purposes, making Luxembourg a highly fortified city and earning it the reputation as the "Gibraltar of the North."

(Above) Inside the casemates

Luxembourg WWII Cemeteries

After visiting Burg Eltz and Trier, we traveled across the border to Luxembourg. Within 30 minutes of leaving Trier, we were at the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial, which is the final resting place for thousands of American service members who died during World War Two. The cemetery, like all American war cemeteries I've been to, was a somber and peaceful place that makes you appreciative for the sacrifices of those who have fought for our country.

(Above) Lucas and Jack were happy to have a chance to be outside and away from their car seats.

(Above) The Luxembourg American Cemetery is the final resting place for General Patton and two medal of honor recipients.

A mile or so down the road from the American cemetery was a cemetery for German soldiers killed during WWII. It was quite an interesting contrast to compare the two. The German headstones were darker and low to the ground. The cemetery grounds were not well kept, and there were two names marked on each gravestone. A sign outside of the cemetery noted that "the dead of this cemetery admonish to peace." One of the pictures below has the complete description regarding the establishment of this German cemetery, which was the first of its kind constructed outside of Germany after WWII.

Burg Eltz

Harmony is busy with a class and has been boycotting blogging so I'm putting these up for posterity! Harmony's mother, her brother Jaxon, and his wife Brittany traveled to Germany for a visit at the end of March. During their time here, we made a few trips, the last of which was to Burg Eltz, Trier, and Luxembourg. We've relied a lot on Rick Steves' Europe tour books during our 3-year stay in Germany. Rick Steves recommended Burg Eltz, which is located near the Rhine River, as his favorite castle in all of Europe. Since the castle is only about an hour and a half drive from our house, we had to make a visit. Unfortunately, one side of the castle was covered with scaffolding when we went because the castle is undergoing major restorations, so we did not experience the breath-taking view that is shown in postcards of Burg Eltz. I'll add Trier and Luxembourg in separate posts.

(Above) One of the bedroom chambers

We had a tour of portions of the castle's interior. Burg Eltz is one of Europe's best-preserved castles because it was never destroyed by invading armies. The interior still has the furnishings of many centuries past. Unfortunately, the staff would not allow us to bring the toddler backpack inside so we had to carry Lucas. Lucas has officially entered his 'terrible twos' early and did his best to prevent Harmony and I from listening to the tour guide. Fortunately, most of the people in the group were Americans with small children so we were not the only ones with noisy kids!

My Family Visits Germany

Hi everyone! Somehow blogging has become very low on my priority list with school and the move coming up. I can't believe how busy our life in Germany has been. We pack-out and fly at the end of May. We're really looking forward to spending a good amount of time with family this summer (and in the glorious land of convenience!)

Recently my mom, brother Jaxon, and sis-in-law Brittany came to Germany for a visit. We did a lot while they were here, including Rothenburg, Nuremberg, Cologne, Trier, Luxemburg, several castles, and a Rhine River cruise. You can view a few of the photos HERE.