I’d always planned a rest day at Trier, with hindsight I might have been better building one in earlier in the trip, but there wasn’t really anywhere as interesting as here.
I don’t think I realised how tired I was until after breakfast, when I got back to the room and just collapsed onto the bed and chilled for a few hours. I certainly wasn’t physically prepared for knocking out 7 days of 80km + rides. Not being 100% for 6-7 weeks and not doing any pre tour longer rides certainly wasn’t the best build up. By mid morning I finally got the energy to walk into the town.
Being off the bike it was obviously going to be sunny, so I had a pleasant walk into the historic town. Signs of the recent liberalisation of drugs didn’t take long to find.
Trier is one of the oldest towns in Germany, and the more traditional historic centre didn’t disappoint.
Also it’s the birthplace of Karl Marx, but I’m not sure he would approve of the exploitation of the working classes who have to pay to enter his museum.
It was €5 to enter, about the same price as an Apfelstudel, this was a difficult decision. Which should I go for ?
Following my morning snack, it was time for the baths, more accurately Roman baths. They look like ruins, but that’s not the case. They were never finished, I hope they hadn’t paid the builders up front.
The most impressive part of these building wasn’t above ground, but the maze of subterranean tunnels, that would have serviced the baths. A large part of them were intact and accessible.
All this walking had made me hungry, so it was time to follow the traditional strudel with a rather less traditional Asian lunch.
Final tourist stop was the Porta Nigra (the Black Gate) the only one of four Roman Gates to the city still standing and rather impressive ! Apparently the no.1 Roman tourist attraction in Germany. (I think they may have added the glass window a little later !)
It’s remarkably intact and for a small fee you can go inside and walk around the four floors. Despite being Roman, over the years it has acquired more modern decorations.
I had to go all the way to the top, just for the views.
After all that walking and history, it was back to the hotel for the rest of the afternoon/evening, relaxing and planning tomorrow. But not before having to hide from the rain again !
Steady Pedals 