TRIER
This is part 3 of my story about a trip I took with my friend Mark.
We boarded a plane in Ljubljana, landed at airport Charloroi in Belgium, where we caught a bus to the City of Luxembourg.
Marks' friend Ana greeted us there, she gave us accommodation, and not only that, she also gave us her car so we could drive wherever we wanted.
Mark and I woke up early in the morning, made coffee with a smell that irresistibly spread around the apartment and woke Ana up.
Or, one would say, she was woken up by music from a cd player combined with our muted voices discussing which city we should visit. Can you imagine that kind of alarm?
Half asleep she joined the discussion and advised us to go see Trier, one of the oldest towns in Germany.
She briefed us on some historical facts, such as the Romans, led by Julius Ceasar in 1st century B.C. concord Trevere, Germanic Celtic tribe, which lived in the area of nowadays Trier.
They renamed it August Treverorum after its founder. The town became a center of Western Roman Empire, and the people gave it a memorable name; Roma Seconda or Second Rome.
She continued with to tell us that there are many historic buildings dating back to Romans, that UNESCO listed on their list of cultural heritage in 1986.
While she was getting ready for work, we were already on our way to Trier.
A massive dark yellow stone gate, at the city center entrance, took our gaze.
They were Porta Nigra, one of the most preserved roman city gates in the world, built around 186 A.D.
As I was circling around them, my thoughts swarmed. I wondered how the people in ancient times managed to raise these giant stones that made the gates, which techniques they used and why the symbols still remain.
I felt honored when I went through them, watching the tiny details artisans embossed long time ago.
While we were still driving towards the town, I read that the town was in the middle of many army conflicts after the fall of the Western Roman Empire and that it took back its power by establishing the archdiocese, which managed most of the town business.
As the city government schemed to take back more and more authority, many conflicts started escalating in the governing of the city.
Some of the sculptures and buildings that witnessed those turbulent times are situated around the main square of Hauptmarkt.
The square became the main one when in 958 the bishops decided to move in the fair from the banks of river Moselle. As a symbol, they put a cross in its middle.
Today a copy stands there, whilst the original is kept in a museum.
I had decided to look up every mentioned sculpture and building, however the square wasn't that big, so I found them easily.
On a facade of the old city hall I saw two sculptures of armored and armed knights that were facing the Cathedral. At the time it was a warning sign to the church representatives to stay away from their zone of interest.
But it's not the only story, now when I tell you how a rich widow provoked a bishop you'll see how great their bigotry was.
In the middle of their quarrel there was a church of St. Gangolf, whose yellow tower rose above the square.
It was built as a simple and modest building at the end of 13th century and didn't stand out until a wealthy widow donated a part of her savings to the city government for reconstuction of the tower.
That's when the surprise kicked in. Her tower was higher than the Cathedral and so the St. Gangolf church became the highest building in town.
It provoked the bishop in such a way that he heightened the southern tower of the Cathedral as he had no money for bigger reconstruction.
As it is in life, every fight ends somehow sooner or later. This one ended by the end of the 16th century after the archbishops consolidated the dominance.
As a token of reconciliation they made the fountain which shows St. Peter, the patron of the Cathedral and the City standing on the top, surrounded by the four virtues of a solid city government - Justice, Strength, Modesty and Wisdom.
At the time it was a call for collaboration and unity and today it's another nice tourist attraction.
Mark and I continued our walk towards the Church of Our Lady which with the Church of St. Elisabeth in Marburg, is the oldest example of Gothic period in Germany.
It was built in 13th century by builders and artisans from Lorraine, french county known for it highly developed Gothic style.
As I was still walking around it and observing it, Mark had had enough of the sightseeing.
His sight was set on the buffets. He soon found one and ordered two fries with mayonnaise and ketchup. I wasn't aware of how hungry I really was.
When our bellies were satisfied we looked around to see that we were standing in front of Euroshop, as the name says, a shop where everything costs a Euro.
It was full of toiletries, decorations, jewelry as well as screws and bolts. As real tourists we bought something, a little peculiar but necessary - salt and pepper cellars which I use everyday.
Do you have the habit of buying souvenirs, jewelry or clothes when you're on vacation?
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