Tag Archives: europe

Tuesday, July 1, 2025–Trier Highlights

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One of our favorite things about cruising with the Viking is their easily accessible, espresso, cappuccino, and/or latte at any time of the day. Kay and I awoke relatively early, 5:00 AM, and I went to the cappuccino machine and made us each a cappuccino and picked up a couple of muffins for a pre-breakfast snack. The coffees were very tasty.

After catching up on news and mail, and hot showers, we went to breakfast and enjoyed eggs Benedict with a few sides and, of course, fresh coffee. And then it was off to catch the bus for both a bus and walking tours of Trier, Germany. Trier is Germany’s oldest city, dating back to Roman Times. Trier is a southwestern German city in the Moselle wine region, near the Luxembourg border. Founded by the Romans, it contains several well-preserved Roman structures like the ruins of Roman baths, an amphitheater just outside the center and a stone bridge over the Moselle River. 

Among the best preserved Roman structure is the Porta Nigre Gate.

The Porta Nigra Gate was built in grey sandstone after 170 AD. The original gate consisted of two four-storeyed towers, projecting as near semicircles on the outer side. A narrow courtyard separated the two gate openings on either side. The gate was used as a town entrance for centuries until the end of the Roman era in Trier. In Roman times, the Porta Nigra was part of a system of four city gates, one of which stood at each side of the roughly rectangular Roman city. It guarded the northern entry to the Roman city

The Archaeological Museum displays Roman artifacts, including The Trier Gold Hoard. The gold is a hoard of 2516 (or 2518) gold coins with a weight of 18.5 kg found in Trier, Germany, in September 1993 during construction works. It is described as the largest preserved Roman gold hoard worldwide..

Among Trier’s many Catholic churches is Trier Cathedral.

Because of its significance during the Roman and Holy Roman empires, several monuments and cathedrals within Trier are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Today was the hottest day of the year in Trier—22 degrees above normal with accompanying high humidity.

Monday, June 30, 2025–Reims Cathedral and Luxembourg American Cemetery

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We each had difficulty sleeping, so the 5 am alarm was not needed. We reorganized our suitcases, tagged them, and moved them to outside the hotel room door for delivery to our day’s tour bus and ultimately to Viking’s long boat Herja.

Breakfast at the hotel buffet was preceded by long lines to be seated, at each of the four coffee machines, and at the eggs preparation counter. With an infected tooth cavity, soft foods were the order of the morning for me while Kay sampled a number of dishes. 

After boarding the bus and suffering through Monday morning’s rush hour traffic, we were transported to Reims where we toured the Reims Cathedral.

The cathedral Notre-Dame de Reims meaning “Our Lady of Reims“), known in English as Reims Cathedral, is a Catholic cathedral in the French city of Reims, the seat of the Archdiocese of Reims. The cathedral was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and was the traditional location for the coronation of the kings of France. The cathedral is considered to be one of the most important works of Gothic Architecture. A major tourist destination, it receives about a million visitors annually. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991. Reims Cathedral is renowned for its magnificent stained glass, particularly its rose windows and the modern additions by Marc Chagall.

After leaving Reims just after lunch, we were driven to Luxembourg American Cemetery to honor those Americans from WW II.

A short drive later found us boarding the Viking Herja where we would spend the next several days.

Our luggage then arrived and we met with the other passengers in Herja’s lounge for an introduction to the crew leaders, a welcoming and orientation meeting, and a champagne toast. Dinner included a bacon based appetizer, pork tenderloin medallions with fried cabbage, patty, and delightful pudding cake (similar to crème brûlée).