Trier (Trèves) in Germany
As I continue my exploration of the Mosel River (German spelling), yesterday I visited Trier or Trèves, as they say in France.
Trier/Trèves is a wonderful city. It was founded by the Celts in the late 4th century BC as Treuorum and conquered 300 years later by the Romans, who renamed it Augusta Treverorum.
Trier/Trèves was one of the four capitals of the Roman Empire during the Tetrarchy period in the late 3rd and early 4th centuries. There are a multitude of Roman ruins to see.
I only had enough time to visit the Aula Palatina, or Constantine Basilica, built in the 4th century AD during the reign of the Roman emperor Constantine (see photo). Indeed, it was his long throne hall, and is today used as a Protestant church. There are so many Roman vestiges to see that I will certainly return.
In the Middle Ages, the archbishop-elector of Trier/Trèves was an important prince of the Church who controlled land from the French border to the Rhine. My photo of the centre of town gives you an impression of its beauty.
But being on the Mosel river, Trier/Trèves is also wine country. So I went for a gallop up one of the sloped vineyards. There is a wonderful view of Trier/Trèves and its position in the valley. I really enjoyed stretching my legs as I galloped up, something I hadn’t done for a while.
My new friends (see photo) informed me that the grapes were Riesling and Pinot Blanc, and that the harvest takes place in September. I did a little tasting and bought a bottle downtown.
Now Paris to Trier/Trèves and back is ambitious for a day trip, but in theory it is doable. But according to the English proverb, “there’s many a slip ‘twixt the cup and the lip”.
So it was that my train out of Trier/Trèves was delayed by 2 hours, as a tree had fallen on the train line. By the time I reached the French town of Metz, I had missed the last train to Paris, and had to find a hotel.
This morning I asked the French train staff to replace my ticket — “no way Jose”. Monsieur, the Germans are responsible, it’s not our problem. Buy yourself another ticket, Monsieur!
The European Union is of course a wonderful construct, such that you can buy any European train ticket in Paris, as I did. But when it comes to dealing with problems, the French don’t want to know about it! Europe still has some work to do in terms of integrating its transport systems.
Being stuck in Metz this morning, I was able to visit for the first time the Centre Pompidou-Metz, a wonderful museum. And I finished off with another Quiche Lorraine – Metz is after all the economic heart of the Lorraine region.