Here we go again!

Brad reporting in from Germany :) 

Wooooo!! First post-COVID family vacation outside Canada! Feels like it has been forever. And it also feels great.

Our trip technically kicked off Friday night, when we headed to Montreal and caught an overnight flight to Paris. Once we landed, bleary-eyed and sleep deprived, we picked up our rental car and headed a few hours' east towards Metz.  We had chosen this for purely practical reasons; it was the furthest we would reasonably feel like going in a car after being cooped up on a plane and getting little sleep. So we spent "day one" essentially recharging our batteries (figuratively and literally). 

Today the kids got their first *real* taste of Europe, and did so with a bang - they woke up in one country (France), spent lunchtime sightseeing in a second (Luxembourg),  and then had dinner in a third (Germany). It sounds like a lot, but it was actually relatively little driving! 

After a nice European continental breakfast at our hotel in Metz we drove about 45 minutes to Luxembourg, where we stopped to stretch our legs and do a bit of sightseeing.  Crossing international borders in the European Union is a little surreal for someone from Canada, who is used to massive roadside signs welcoming visitors to different *provinces*. In contrast, we were well beyond the French border before we realized "oh I guess we're in Luxembourg now." 

We did an accidental driving tour of part of Luxembourg after missing a turn, but eventually found parking in the city centre. From there we played tourist for a bit, making our way past the hotel de ville and the war memorial before walking across the Ponte Adolphe and back. It was a beautiful, quiet, sunny Sunday morning to start our trip. The visit to Luxembourg was brief but it left a great impression as a clean, beautiful, and modern city. 

After another 45min trip in the car we crossed the German border (again, without actually realizing it at first due to the lack of signage), and arrived in Trier in the early afternoon. Trier is known for being Germany's oldest city and having some very noteworthy historical monuments from the Roman Empire. As some know, I've been nerding out on the history of the Roman and Byzantine empires lately, so this destination was not only a convenient way to break up the driving, but also high on my wish list of things to see. 

We found parking near Constantine's Basilica but arrived an before it opened, so we made our way towards the "Hauptmarkt" (main market, or city centre) for a quick lunch. After lunch we checked out the Porta Nigra (Black Gate), which is a four-storey structure built by the Romans around 170 AD, which was used as one of four town entrances. It was pretty incredible to see the original stonework and the carvings and inscriptions inside the walls. 

After some photo ops for Zoe's Instagram we headed back towards Constantine's Basilica, but took a slightly different route back which took us past the Trier Cathedral (aka the High Cathedral of Saint Peter in Trier). We had expected this to be closed to visitors as it was Sunday, but as a bonus it was open so we stopped in to explore. The cathedral claims to be the oldest church in Germany with its original structure dating back to 270 AD (also also tied to Constantine the Great). That being said, it has been rebuilt multiple times after being left to deteriorate, and also being destroyed by Vikings, so the current structure dates to the 1200s. The mind-boggling part for me is that the original structure was apparently FOUR TIMES the size of the current building. Regardless, the current building is a sight to behold, and contains several relics including the Seamless Robe of Jesus (the robe said to have been worn by Jesus shortly before his crucifiction). It definitely left an impression.

After this we finished our Trier visit with Constantine's Basilica (or "Konstantinbasilika"), which was built around 310 AD by Constantine the Great.  The most striking thing about it is that it has no interior columns, despite being an enormous building. This is all the more inpressive when you consider it was built more than 1700 years ago. And the fact that this incredible structure was built so far from the centre of Roman power at the time (more than 2000km) really leaves you with an impression of the expanse and power of the Roman Expire.

After saying goodbye to Trier we moved on to our final destination - Cochem, Germany.  We arrived around 4:30pm knowing that parking was going to be an issue, but wow... The switchback roads heading into town quickly narrowed to the point where we thought "are we really supposed to be driving here?" and then found some roads into town were blocked entirely. So we parked and walked, hoping to gather better intel on where we could park once we arrived at our accomodations. We discovered that a) we were parked in probably the best possible spot, and b) we couldn't get any closed because it's Winefest here in Cochem! :) 

The view on the way into town 

Girls helping to carry the gear

Oh hey there's a festival going on. Winefest you say? 

The Moselle river wraps around Cochem, with an old restored castle (Reichsburg Cochem) overlooking it from a hill high above. The picturesque town below is a maze of steep, narrow cobblestone streets and half-timbered structures typical of the region. As we walked into town from where we left our rental car, the kids fell in love with the ancient crumbling walls and guard towers forming the perimeter of the town, and Zoe said she was "so happy she could cry." I think she's looking forward to the Instagram posts :) 

After weaving our way through the Winefest party in the city centre we enjoyed a delicious dinner at a restaurant that Leslie researched and chose for us - Zom Stueffje (http://www.zomstueffje.com/). It stood out from the typical tourist traps because it was tucked down a little alley nearby, had menus only in German, and had excellent reviews compared to other options nearby. 

After dinner we explored the village more on foot, weaving through randomand unique little side streets and enjoying the Winefest vibe. All in all we're having an excellent start to our trip. And as I write this there are fireworks going off outside, and the kids have raced downstairs to check them out :)

Tomorrow - castles! Stay tuned :)