Luxembourg - War cemetery and city - Trier

It's been a very full day today. Up and out by 8am and didn't return to the hotel until 6.30pm, then dinner is only finished now at 9.30pm. You need to be fit to go on a tour!!!!

The day started with a short journey into Luxembourg, despite wrestling with the peak hour traffic.
We met our guide, Elka, at the Luxembourg War Cemetery where she took us around and showed us many things, but the one thing it is most famous for is it houses the grave of General Patton.

Luxembourg War Cemetery

General Patton was apparently killed in a car accident in Hamburg in Germany after the end of the war, but made it known in his will that he would like to be buried "with his men"

General Patton's grave

It is always very sobering to visit the war graves.... and I've visited a few this week. They played some American music while we were there, like "God bless America" and a few of our American friends definitely had a tear in their eyes.

Grave on an American Soldier

American Graves

Names of Americans who could not be found...

There are over 6000 Americans buried here, and just over the other side of the highway there is  German Cemetery with over 10 000 soldiers buried there. Such a waste of young men in their prime.

After we finished our tour here, we hopped back in the bus and went for a tour through the city of Luxembourg. Our guide, Elka, was talking about how Luxembourg used to be famous for its many many banks, but since it joined the EU, it has had to tighten up its tax laws and about half the banks have left Luxembourg, so it has greatly affected the economy. Apparently wages are high here, but also so are the taxes. Many people live just outside Luxembourg in Germany or Belgium and commute in, because it is cheaper that way. BTW Luxembourg (the country) is very small - approximately 50 miles by 32 miles.

View of Luxembourg

Luxembourg city is built around a fortification over a deep ravine and it goes down very steeply....

View of Luxembourg

View of Luxembourg

View of Luxembourg

Details about Luxembourg

We also saw the usual sights of the city...

Inside the Cathedral

 We weren't allowed to linger inside the Cathedral because Luxembourg, being a very Catholic country, is celebrating a season called Octave where there are continuous Masses in the Cathedral from 6am - 8pm every day.... Apparently each group within the city is allocated their own Mass  eg the firemen and the police and  the Royal Family even has it's own Mass

Speaking of the Royal Family, we were told lots of interesting facts about them and lots of gossip... shame I can't remember it all....  Apparently they are very Catholic and one of the sons had a child out of wedlock and he had to denounce his right to the throne in order to marry his lady.

Parliament house on the right... Royal Palace on the left

 It was very interesting, as I've never been here before. We were then given about an hour or so to have a wander and get some lunch and then we were off on the next optional extra to Trier, which is just over the border in Germany.

Today's journey

I have to be honest and say I had not really heard of Trier before this tour. It was advertised on our optionals as follows...

Drive into Germany to visit the ancient Roman city of Trier, home town of Karl Marx. Sightseeing with a local expert will reveal the superb Porta Nigra and the Imperial Baths, the largest outside Rome You'll also walk through the old town to see the fine Liebfrauenkirche, as well as Marx's house. After free time in the centre, we'll proceed to the nearby hills for great views over the Moselle River and the surrounding wine region.

We once again had  walking tour of the town with Elka still as our guide but first the bus took us up the hill to get an overview of the city

Trier from up the hill

 We started in the Roman Basilica which has been partially rebuilt but still contains stones from the the building constructed by Constantine. Trier was built by the Emperor Augustus in around 17 BC... he was also famous for being mentioned in the Nativity story!

Interior wall Roman Basilica

Exterior wall Roman Basilica

As usual we were taken to see the Cathedral, but didn't go inside. I went back later on our free time and lit a candle for all my family and friends.
Very ornate inside...

Inside Trier Cathedral

Inside Trier Cathedral

Inside Trier Cathedral

Next we were walked through the market square. These market squares in the old towns of Europe are just lovely. By this time the sun was out too, and that made it all the more pleasant.

Trier Market Square

Trier Market Square

Trier Market Square

One of the big things that Trier is famous for is that is was the birthplace of Karl Marx. On May 5th it is 200 years since his birth.

Karl Marx house - quick shot from the bus

There is a lot of activity around this event... TV cameras were all preparing documentaries to coincide with this day. Apparently a sister city to Trier in China has donated a massive statue of Karl Marx to the city, as he is very revered in China still. But Trier are very reluctant to accept, as our guide said "He would rotate in his grave to be showered with all these activities"!

The last thing we did in Trier was to visit its most important landmark - the Porta Nigra.

Once again Wikipedia helps us out..

The Porta Nigra (Latin for black gate) is a large Roman city gate in Trier, Germany. It is today the largest Roman city gate north of the Alps. It is designated as part of the Roman Monuments, Cathedral of St. Peter and Church of Our Lady in Trier UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The name Porta Nigra originated in the Middle Ages due to the darkened colour of its stone; the original Roman name has not been preserved. Locals commonly refer to the Porta Nigra simply as Porta.

Porta Nigra (Black gate)

It is obviously very historic and can be date back to around 128 AD (I think!)

So.... that was a very full day of touring. The bus trip back to our hotel the Chateau D'Urspelt just outside Clervaux, took ninety minutes, so we didn't arrive back until 6.30pm. It was a very pretty drive as we took the back roads and followed the rivers.

It's late now, so that's enough for one day. Feeling a bit weary tonight but at least we have a later start tomorrow - 8.45am. Thank you Jesus!!!!