Journey To Holiness: Trier

As I travel more, I have found there are places that speak to the soul. People can connect with different buildings, towns, cities, and nature. I have been fortunate to have places speak to me. The unfortunate part of this is that the heart longs to go back. However, wanderlust equally has me longing to see new things. One such place that spoke to me on my last trip was Trier, Germany. At least once a week, I think about how I can finagle to return. In my next series, Trier will be a part of at least one of the books. So, I do think I will go back one day sooner rather then later.

As cities go, Trier is not that big. The population is around 109,000 people. Billings, Montana is just a titch bit bigger. I felt very much at home in Trier. The amazing aspect of the city is the history and it was the reason my husband was so excited to visit. Back in the day, this was the seat for Rome in the region. We toured what was left of the Roman bath. Oh, how I would love to have seen it so many years ago. The underground tunnel system that has been excavated was impressive.

This is what the bath looked like back in the day.

Bath Tunnel

Working on the bath.

I loved the brick work.

Kaiser Augustus

My favorite part of the city was the Porta Nigra, the black gate. Construction started in 170 AD. I climbed up into it. Imagine 2,188 years old. I touched it. I looked all around and could imagine being a soldier watching for the barbarians. I thanked the lord for the priest who took up residence and placed a chapel in one of the big rooms to protect the gate from being torn down like the other gates into the city and the wall. And speaking of the walls…. The city walls are long gone. However, they were extensive before torn down to probably build new buildings. I believe I read that they were four miles long on each side and I haven’t found how long in the other direction. I am fascinated by the Romans. These people knew how to build things that lasted.

The Black Gate of 2,00+ years ago and modern buildings.

What a beauty.

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This is Trier during the Roman days with the wall. The bath is depicted. The area was huge!!!

The last Roman structure we visited was the Amphitheater. I would love to see a production here. We walked around a bit and went down into the tunnels. I was exhausted at this point and it was getting late. I could imagine the people coming in to watch a display of the chariots, a comedy, or of course some sort of torture like at the Coliseum in Rome. I wonder if they brought lions to Trier from the south.

Our other big tourist stop was the Dom Trier. Wow!!! This is the High Cathedral of Saint Peter. Beautiful. I struggle taking pictures in churches sometimes. I was also a bit dazed at this point. People were everywhere. And I must say, that I was a bit frustrated with everything being written in German. I couldn’t read the history or what all the items were. I felt a little out of my element and longed for more time. One of the amazing items at the church is they have inside the cathedral a baroque chapel for the relic of the Seamless robe of Jesus. We didn’t get to see the robe. It is inside a box in the chapel. We saw the box, but the area was very crowded. I prayed, but I was overwhelmed.

I loved the colors.

Mary and Elisabeth, the Cousins. This reminds me of my dear cousin, Holly and I.

I love the reality of the Grim Reaper. Stunning.

Walking through the historical district, we saw so many things. Both of us agreed, we want to go back and spend about three to five nights, so we can drink in the area. I would like to walk where the walls used to be around the city. Looking down from the hills would give me some perspective of the enemy trying to find a way inside the gates. I would like to walk along the Moselle river. And of course, I would love to see the museums. I definitely need to find an app for German before I go.