Trier

By the time I reached Trier I felt in need of a break.  Trier is also a place I came very close to visiting last time I was in Germany (by accident due to catching the wrong train, but that’s another story), so I was keen to take a look around this time.

I wasn’t able to find a couchsurfing host, so I found a campsite just across the river from the city centre.  Nothing flash, but very close when you have a bike, and cheap enough.  I met a Chinese German woman there who was also cycling and camping, but unfortunately she was heading in the opposite direction.

Also by this time it was starting to get pretty cold.  Just a bit too nippy for the thermals, shirt and polar fleece combo I had going.  So I was on a mission to find something warm.

I spent most of the first day taking care of the housework.  Found a local supermarket and an outdoor store and bought some food, gas canister, and a clothes line.  Sucked it up and paid the fees for the washing machine and and hung it out to dry while I went into town.  Thanks to Markus I had a bit of an idea about the shops around, and had a look in a couple for something warm.  In the outdoor store I had found a synthetic fill sleeveless outdoor vest at half price, but it was still 50 Euros, more than I wanted to spend.  However, after having a look round the stores in town I couldn’t find anything of equivalent warmth for a better price, so I went back the next day to get it.  And I am so glad I did!  It has been a lifesaver! 

When I finally did get around to doing some sightseeing, I noticed a couple of things – the Germans have a thing for ice cream shops and little bakeries on the main street.  Even though it was October and pretty darn cold there were still people queuing for ice cream.  And the little bakeries were always well patronised.  I also noticed this strange shop called Tschibo. I couldn’t tell what it was exactly, it seemed to be a café that sold coffee and coffee machines, but also sold winter coats and other clothes.  (One of my hosts explained that it was originally a family run café that has since branched out to selling other products in store and is now a chain store.)

Trier is a pretty place.  Many of the buildings in the main square are colourful and unusually shaped.  One historic building is home to McDonald’s, but this has been relatively tastefully done.  I followed the historic walking route around the city which encompassed a number of Roman constructions, a very pink and frothy baroque palace, the Dom, and the market square.  As seems to be the case everywhere I have been so far, several of these were covered in scaffolding while maintenance was taking place.  Sadly including the fountain in the main square, but those responsible had thoughtfully covered this in a life sized photograph of the real thing, so you could see what you were missing out on (mostly the clear blue sky depicted in the image!).

Rested and restocked I made my way onwards after a few days along the Mosel river.

A herd of silvery dinosaurs roamed the streets and tried to eat people.