Day 3 of Julie's Amazing Whirlwind 11 Day European Vacation

Our third day of the trip was definitely more satisfying than the first two days. We got to Frankfurt an hour late and our luggage did not make it, but I got a stamp in my passport and we were finally on German ground. Tami was there waiting for us, we filed a report regarding our luggage and we were on our way. Our first stop was the LDS temple in right outside of Frankfurt. It was small and nestled in this little historic neighborhood. The statue of Moroni which you generally see on top of the temple was on top of a monument in the middle of the courtyard.

After we were done walking around the temple we got back in the car and headed to the Germany city Trier. It was about 2 hours away. Trier is Germany's oldest city. It is a historic city in west central Germany, just six miles from the Luxembourg border and 120 miles SW of Frankfurt.

In Trier is a city gate called Porta Nigra. Porta Nigra is the oldest defensive structure in Germany, the Porta Nigra was built in about 180 AD when the city was surrounded by walls. The Porta Nigra is the only one of four Roman gates that still stands in Trier. It was given its name (which means "black gate") in the Middle Ages because of its weathered color. .

A little blurry picture of Emily and I storming the gate.

When we got to the city it was just amazing. I had to take a picture of the church that was right next to where we parked. Everything seemed to be wonderful and picture worthy.

The other really cool thing was that since it was right before Christmas, the Christmas market was in full swing. There were so many decorations and lights that you didn't even know where to look first. The phrase Frohes Fest in the second picture means Christmas Fest.

We stopped at this street vendor and watched as he made magnificent sculptures out of wire. They were incredible.

I am not really sure what this really cool pink building was, but I loved it. It made me feel like I was in a Jane Austin novel. The grounds were beautiful even though it was cold and snowy. There was a reflecting pool and lots of statues that lined the walkways.

The other really cool thing in the city (and a lot of the other cities) was the cathedral there. This13th- parish church was one of the first churches built Germany . It stands right next door to the cathedral.

This is how we were feeling while we were there on our first sightseeing adventure.

We unfortunately did not have time to go the extra six miles to Luxembourg. After we were "done" in Trier we headed back to Tami's house. Tami then took us to a wonderful little restaurant called HunchenHausen. It was soooo good. The pictures of me reflect the fact that I hadn't slept or changed clothes in days. The meal was fabulous. I got Chicken Cordon Bleu which I thought I had eaten before. Apparently I had been eating an impostor version. What a great meal. I learned that you eat as soon as your food comes without waiting for everyone to receive their meal. I also learned that the drinks do not come with ice and they don't automatically bring water to the table. You have to ask for water and if you don't want to be charged for it then you have to specify that you don't want it bottled. (Fleicshings Wasser) Also --the best part--once you sit down that is your table for the rest of the night. There is no pressure to leave at any time. You just have to signal to the waiter that you are ready for the rechnung.

We were completely exhausted and I was beginning to fall asleep at the table. It was a wonderful start to a completely wonderful adventure.

Thanks Tami!!!