Trier, Germany

The building above Jew alley in the central square.

Jew Alley (Judentor)

The central square of Trier (Hauptmarkt) in Germany was a great spot to sit with a coffee and people-watch but there was a lot more to the town. It was founded by the Romans so there are quite a few Roman ruins, and the churches are awe-inspiring as well. Our room was right near the Nigra Gate with views over the town to the church spires and only a stone's throw from a delightful restaurant.

Dom Cathedral, Trier

Dom Cathedral cloister

Cloister garden, Dom Cathedral

Roman Nigra Gate

Roman Baths

Roman Baths

Roman Amphitheatre

The underground area of the Roman Amphitheatre

Roman Amphitheatre

Saarburg, part 2

Saarburg

The engraving on the front of the bell foundry museum in Saarburg had bells, cannons and the date 1770 ( significant year for Australia). The foundry, now the Museum Glockengießerei Mabilon, closed in 2002 and when it closed everything was left intact -  the tools, the machinery, old bells and bell-dongers (what is the technical term?) are all preserved in their original place.

Museum of Bell Foundry Mabilon, Saarburg

Some of the bell-making ovens and equipment looks like it's been there since the bginning, some are obviously from more recent times. It was fascinating to see how the bells were cast and the old buildings as well. The foundry is on a street next to the river and on one wall there was a chart of flood levels this century. Several floods, particularly the 1947 flood, must have been a real nuisance.

When a bell was about to be cast in the mold the priest and other dignitaries gathered for the solemn occasion. Candles were lit in this little niche high above the ovens.

Insect hotel. One wall had several 'insect and bee hotels'. There has been a growing interest in making these for Australian native bees that nest in little burrows. I've seen a few of these on our travels and the designs are very creative.

Quite a few houses and business have signs like this. It's called 'chalking the door' and is a Christian house blessing. The letters C, M, B have two meanings: They are the initials of the traditional names of the three magi: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar. They also abbreviate the Latin words Christus mansionem benedicat, “May Christ bless the house.”

Old castle (burg) at Saarburg

Saarburg, Germany

Some little towns are just delight the senses. Saarburg is one.

The town is one the river Saar but there is also a small fast-flowing river, called Leukbach, that runs through the centre of the old town, and it has a waterfall! And a waterwheel-driven flourmill. And lots of cafes with flowers everwhere. And steep paths and steps. And buildings that look story-book beautiful. add a bit of sunshine and it's all a complete delight.

Wasserfall, Saarburg

But I haven't finished with Saarburg yet. More in the next post.

Baumwipfelpfad Saarschleife, Germany

A treetop walk, through conifers and deciduous trees, lead us to the wooden viewing tower overlooking a bend in the Saar River near Orscholz, Germany. It's name is Baumwipfelpfad Saarschleife. The tower is 46 m high, easy to climb because of the low gradient, and there are 360 degree views of the river valley and farmland. Followed by coffee and cake in Orscholz - yum.

The village Orscholz from the viewing platform.

Saar River 

Völklingen Ironworks, Germany

Völklingen Ironworks in Germany is a World Cultural Heritage Site where thousands of workers, in noisy and dirty conditions, produced pig-iron. Today there are about 7km of walkways, information boards, art installations and exhibitions, a museum and several cafes. We didn't see them all, mainly because a huge drenching rainstorm had us sheltering for a while, but we managed to see a lot over many levels and it was all fascinating.

Nature is reclaiming parts of the site