Making History in Trier

It just has so much history, this place Europe.  It's one thing to read about the origins of Western Civilization in a textbook, but it is really quite different to walk through its doors, climb its towers, and walk through its tunnels.  I don't know what says more, that the footprint of mankind from 4000 years ago still exists enough to see it in person today, or that hundreds of generations have come and gone since they were constructed.  Either way, I find it all fascinating.

Take Porta Nigra, in Trier for example.  Trier is the oldest city in Germany, founded by an Assyrian prince over 4000 years ago, and then crowned as a remote capital of Rome almost two thousand years later in 16 AD.  With Trier located near the northern edge of the roman empire, the "Black Gate" would at times mark the boundary between Pax Romanus and maurauding Barbarians.  Originally one of 4 city gates built in red sandstone, it earned its black hue - and its name - as it darkened over time.  It survived through the ages because it was turned into a church and monastery in 1035.  If its walls could talk, it could tell you about visits of Roman emperors, sanctified monks, and Napolean Bonaparte.  That's history.

THEN WANDER from Porta Nigra down through the streets of Trier, through the Hauptmarkt (where shop keepers have been peddling wares since around the birth of Christ; where a monument to king Henry I is set) to the oldest Christian church in Germany - St. Peters Cathedral - or the Cathedral of Trier. Commissioned by Emperor Constantine as an array of cathedrals in the new Holy Roman Empire, it was set originally in Roman stone.  Walk to the front of the Apse, and there in the Ambulatory, locked in a chest, is said to be a seamless and untorn tunic worn by Jesus Christ himself.  Lady Helena - wife of Constantine - claimed to have found it on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem.  She brought it back to the church for which she had donated her own palace grounds to be built.

A part of history but not relegated to it, a plaque in the lower level crypts names all of the bishops and archbishops of the church in a continuous line, starting from AD 250 until today.  The plaque still has room for 50 or so names, another 500 years, give or take.  The choir was practicing for evening services as we toured the building.  History isn't just an event in the past, it's an unfinished story.  Indeed, on the clock tower is the inscription NESCITIS QVA HORA DOMINVS VENIET - You do not know what time the Lord is coming.

Seated directly to the right of this singularly phenomenal structure is  the oldest Gothic church in Germany, the Liebfrau Kirche (Church of our Lady).  It was built in 1235.  It, too, is still home to a practicing community of faithful.




WHERE A ROMAN EMPEROR RESIDES,  then one might also find Roman Imperial Baths.  I find the under-floor heating in our own home a mechanical marvel (built: 1945), but the Romans had it almost two thousand years earlier.  In a credit to their ingenuity and industriousness, the imperial baths siphoned off part of the Mosel river into a complex of subterranean tunnels, where brick furnaces and slaves were to keep the water at a constant 120°F for Roman patrons two stories above their heads.  What is the bigger marvel, that it was such a an amazing operation, or that it still stands for children to run through today?

One one hand, Trier is just another historic European city.  On the other hand, it is still a living and breathing text book of the all of the epics of Western Civilization.  Four thousand years of human achievement, collapsed down into a single afternoon's stroll.  

History is amazing. 

The Hauptmarkt under evening lights. 

Ancient marble Roman foot? 

Ornate Electoral Palace

Trier from above - view from Porta Nigra. 

He's Just Keeping it Real

Our son Camden was assigned the task in math class to create a Venn diagram....you remember the Venn Diagram? That's that visual diagram depicting similarities and differences between two different things.  He was given the freedom to choose the topic, and here is what he came up with.

His choice? Airlines.  In case you can't read it, on the left is United.  On the right is Delta.

Things in common:

• Airlines
• Engines
• Wings
• Go in the air. 

United:

• Breaks guitars*
• Grouchy people
• Really hard chairs
• Only bring drinks once

Delta:

• Nice people
• Has TVs on each seat
• Gives you many drinks
• Best Airline in the World. 

*In United's defense, he has not personally witnessed breaking guitars but has watched this youtube video about 100 times.

SO IGNORING THE FACT that perhaps its a little unusual for a 7-year old to be able to do  a critical analysis of major airlines' customer service policies,  I will say that in general I pretty much agree with his content ;).  We had one of those disastrous customer service episodes when we flew over here with United. Stressed enough with leaving our home and taking our first family airplane trip - with five kids and a grandparent, mind you -  to a foreign country,  the United staff we encountered in Chicago really were really "grouchy".  It was discouraging enough that I  finally swore off years of loyalty (and late flights and broken itineraries and O'Hare airport) and moved exclusively to Delta. We've flown Delta on all of our trips home since.    Apparently, that was a Camden-approved change.

The businessman in me thinks there is a valuable customer service lesson in there somewhere.  United, if you're listening my son is available for hire as a consultant. His advice into your world of customer service and support policies will be along the lines of 1) stop being grouchy, 2) bring people drinks, and 3) don't break guitars.

Maybe the customer service lesson is not to over-think it.

Icons of Holland

First up...wooden shoes...

Then the dikes, and dike houses....

Then there's the tulips....

And last but not least, the windmills....

Bikes, Dikes, Wooden Shoes and Windmills

A tribute to my roots! We definitely think Holland is worth a return trip.   Amsterdam is nice, but we left a lot of stuff in rural Holland un-seen, including the homeland of my mother's side in the far North...




First, there are a lot of bikes in Amsterdam. A lot of bikes.

Travelling with kids tip: If going to Amsterdam, find the Pancake Boat tour.  When the boat launches, an unlimited buffet of pancakes and a wide variety of fixin' opens. Great thing for a cold rainy day, which it was.   Oh and added bonus: Pancakes cooked with strips of bacon in them. Mind. Blown.

The Anne Frank house tour - no pictures allowed inside, unfortunately.   A commemorative statue outside Westerkerk, just down the corner from the Anne Frank House.

The house blends in to the neighborhood. In fact, we were just lounging by a street level door waiting for the tour and saw the placard.

Waiting outside of the Anne Frank House for the tour.

The Rijksmuseum, home of Rembrandt and his contemporaries.  Another travelling with kids tip: Make museums a scavenger hunt, give them postcards or pictures of the famous works and and have them find them all.  The Rijksmuseum does it even better, they hand out a scavenger hunt with a page for every room in the museum. Great way to keep the kids engaged.  Here, they respond to some questions about Delft Blue in the background....a common sight in my house growing up ;).

The Grand Finale, Rembrandt's Night Watch. I'm the last person to give a critical review of art, but as a layman Rembrandt s use of salient light is incredible - it almost looks as if stage lights from around the room are lighting up portions of the painting like a stage.

Outside Amsterdam is where real Holland is....here in the seaside town of Marken, for example, some of the locals are seen in traditional dutch clothing replete with wooden shoes.

On a dike!  The island town of Marken is a bowl, a dike rings the entire island holding back the seawater.   A strange feeling for sure.

Volendam....sometimes the dikes are well disguised. Here, the dike makes up the boardwalk for a shopping area.

Chase finds an appropriate souvenir.

But what about the windmills, you ask?  Zaanse Schans for sure delivered on some spectacular windmill sights....to be continued.

The Keukenhof

On our way from Bruges to our apartment in Amsterdam, we made a stop at the Keukenhof Gardens near Lisse in the Netherlands.   You know all those pictures you see of Holland with fields full of colorful tulips? Yep, that's this place. And although we're not really flower lovers, and although the tulips hadn't fully bloomed yet....WOW.  This place is really amazing and well worth the stop. Click here for the full photos.

In Bruges

 WE'RE FRESH OFF a week of vacation, spending the first half in the city of Bruges, Belgium.  We booked it a little late, so we were fortunate to find a central street level city apartment near the center.  "Lady Lace" - our apartment - sat on a bustling street full of the traditional Flemish style of houses, many of which were built in the 17th century (including ours). You can see the lettering on a neighboring house - 1620.  These buildings have seen some history.  

 We planned for warmer weather. Unfortunately mother nature didn't cooperate and we pretty much had to bundle up every day to see the sights.  Occasionally the sun would come out and take the edge off of the wind.  On the right, the tribe prepares to cross the street with out apartment to the back (right) in the background. 

Many of the buildings were in the "traditional Flemish style" which practically means they had the stair-step facades.    None of the buildings showed that better then the ones on the square, which were also full of color.  

No doubt the icon of Bruges is the Belfry, or Belfort.   This giant structure towers over the market square and the rest of Bruges. We were fortunate in that it was closed from January through March 30th...but we arrived on the 31st just as it reopened, right on schedule.  

 You can't go to Bruges (or virtually any other European city, as it were) without doing the canal tour, of course.  

 The city is close to the North Sea, and the canals directly connect Bruges with the North Sea Harbor. In older times, supplies were shipped in by boat directly from the harbor to their destination in Bruges. Today, many significant buildings (and many homes) are directly located on - or in? - the canals. 

 Someone on our tour boat company had a sense of humor.  The kids wanted to know if it was real, and if so, what else this boat was used for.

 On a clear day, it is said one can see from the Belfort all the way to the North Sea. Althought technically this photo is facing in the opposite direction, on our trip we could see the harbor in the North Sea.  

 Our entire time there the square was bustling with activity. The night we arrived there was a concert, the next day a major bike race launched from there, and then shortly thereafter they began setting up for a festival.  This photo was one of the very few opportunities we had to see the square relatively undisturbed. 

 The Provincial court building is an impressive structure on the market square. 

 Everyone knows that Belgium is famous for the waffle.   Fun fact, in Belgium its not a breakfast food but rather an afternoon snack. Another fun fact? French fries came from Belgium too.  

 ...But its the chocolate that is everywhere in Bruges. There are dozens upon dozens of chocolate stores and makers.  We indulged only once for an after dinner desert, and not surprisingly the kids were a little excited to open up the box.  I'll admit we staged this photo, but it didn't require much staging....

 Bruges is beautiful during the day, but it's not until the sun sets that it really becomes like a postcard.   










All over the city warm incandescent flood lights turn on and bath all of the buildings in a warm glow

Its not a big city, so from a lot of different vantage points you can still capture the Belfort towering over the city in the background. 

 Or as in this case, the steeple of the Church of our Lady (also the home of Michelangelo's Madonna). The contrast of this street - newer buildings with efficient fluorescent lights create a blue hue - against the orange incandescent glow of the steeple. 

It's hard to get lost in Bruges....just look for the Belfort. 

 It was shortly after this picture of the square where my night photography session of Bruges came to an abrupt end due to an uncomfortable encounter with a local - something about "tourists" and "evil" and some arm grabbing involved....good time to head back to the apartment, but not before catching the market square in lights. 

We liked Bruges. It's easily walkable through the entire town so you don't have the hassle of having to figure out public transportation, everything is just a few minute walk away, and it's actually somewhat kid friendly.   

Which showed a little on their faces. We snap all sorts of photos of the kids all over Europe and although they smile it's sometimes easy to see its not super genuine...tired from walking, or sight seeing, or museum hunting, or hungry, etc....but this is probably my all time favorite kid picture from our time in Europe. Why? I think they actually all simultaneously liked it!