Stop 1: Trier, Germany

(So glad to know people read this blog! You all made me feel warm and fuzzy inside ... shucks.) Moving on: 

For New Years we went on a little adventure. First we headed to Ramstein Air Force base because...

1) They have a Chili's 

2) Their hotel is super cheap

3) They have a Chili's

Ramstein was our "home base".

Friday night when we got there we got checked into our hotel and headed to eat dinner at Chili's. On the way ... Brad got pulled over. I think he was going like 5km over the speed limit - kinda silly. After he was given his very first traffic ticket EVER (poor guy ... he's was kinda annoyed. okay, a lot annoyed) we carried on to Chili's. 

Chili's was delicious. I forgot how much I missed American food like that! It was well worth Brad getting a ticket to get us there! (teehee)

After dinner we went to their PX. Or, as it's commonly nicknamed "Mini America", and rightly so, that place is huge. It reminded us of an American Mall and it put our PX to shame! We had fun walking around and buying AMERICAN stuff that our PX doesn't carry. 

Moving on again ... Saturday morning we headed for Trier, Germany. Trier is the oldest city in Germany, dating back to the Roman time period. It was such a cool old city. Here is stop nummer eins!

As we were walking into the city, we passed a guy who was running fast, looking like he was in a big hurry. About 30 seconds later an older man passed us and was chasing after him yelling, "Stoppen! Ein Dieb!" (Stop! A Thief!) I felt SO sad for this old man, he sounded so distraught. I wished I had reacted fast enough to chase the thief but, there is no way I would have caught him. So, all I could do that day is hope and pray that the old man got his things back. It honestly kind of put a damper on our day. But, we kept going anyway ... they hadn't taken down their Christmas decorations so, we got to enjoy those as well. This was my favorite. That's an impressive bow: 

This is the Porta Nigra gate. It is one of two Roman gates that is still standing. My eternal mate was so stinkin' fun to watch. He kept saying: "Think of the royalty that has passed through this gate!", "Think of all the important people who have stood here!" He loves his history. It makes me smile ... he'll have a field day in Rome! 

This is the Hauptmarkt, the main square of the town. That is St. Gangolf's church tower in the background ... that church was awesome because it was nestled in between buildings with only a few feet in between the church and the buildings! 

These tree's really reminded me of the Whomping Willow off of 'Harry Potter' ... some of them were even dressed up at Ninja's. So random!

The church on the left is the Trier Cathedral and on the right is the Liebfrauenkirche. The Trier Cathedral contains a relic of the Holy Robe of Christ, we were SO (so, so, so) bummed that it was closed for some sort of rehearsal so we couldn't see it. So, if you ever go to Trier, stop in the church and check out the Holy Robe for us ... 

I love doors in Europe. Love them! They always have awesome decor, colors, trim, handles ... 

We also visited the Karl Marx house. This is where he was born in 1818. It is now a museum telling all about his life and the influence of his work throughout the world. Brad enjoyed it ... the little man and I got bored after room one. 

(I spy Brad and Kason ... and random German's...)

This bridge is also the oldest bridge in all of Germany! The Romerbrucke's pillars date back to the 2nd Century A.D.! That's OLD! 

We also visited the Roman Baths (Kaisertherman). They were pretty neat. You could go down underground and explore all the different tunnels and areas they had underground. I can't imagine having to pay a fee to bathe with a bunch of random Romans. And only getting a bath once a week ... if you're lucky! So glad we have private bathrooms nowadays! 

Never a dull moment with these two, I tell ya! 

We came across this palace. I can't remember whose it was or what it was called but, it was pretty neat. I always like to imagine the horse and carriages pulling up & dropping off the royalty for a dinner party. This is real stuff people! So neat.

The grounds were beautiful, naturally.

As we were eating vendor food and getting ready to leave, the sun was setting behind St. Gangolf church. So cool. 

This is where the trip took a not fun turn. I (the blogger) started to feel like crap. It almost felt like a migraine but, not quite the same. But, I really wanted to see this last church (St. Paulus, I think) before we left. We stopped really quick, and when I almost fell asleep listening to the rehearsal going on, Brad knew it was time to leave ... 

On the way home, I threw up. At the hotel I threw up ... 3 more times. (yes I just admitted all of that...wow) The culprit? We're pretty sure I got food poisoning. So, although Trier is a neat old city ... be cautious of: pickpockets, rehearsals preventing you from seeing the Holy Robe relic, and food poisoning! Don't let that keep you from visiting the oldest city in Germany though ... it really is worth the risk!!