Trier (of course)

A trip to visit us here in Luxembourg would not be complete without a trip over the German border to Trier. We took Lena & Sierra on our usual tour of the city but added a stop at the Roman Baths this time! Lena made a check list of things to find for the girls before our trip. The were really into it.

The Roman Baths were pretty cool. There were many underground passage ways we got to walk through. It was like a maze. The Roman Baths stopped being so cool when youngest daughter had an accident of the #2 variety. Now when I look at the pictures of the Baths, I picture myself crouched over in the cold drizzle trying to clean up a most unpleasant mess with a few tissues from my purse and a sandwich bag. Ugh.

The palace garden was still beautiful even without the flowers of summer.

I heard on the radio this morning that Trier has the worst traffic of any city in Germany. The road that is the worst is the one that connects Luxembourg and Trier. We certainly experienced that! Next time we'll take the train.

That was Day 4 (well, technically 5 as we took day 4 to rest and hang out.) Paris is next!

Trier Christmas Market

On Sunday we went to the Trier Christmas Market. We had such an enjoyable time last year, Bryce and I were excited to share it with his parents. The train ride was pleasant and uneventful. The only added element this year was snow, it didn't stick, but still - SNOW! Although incredibly cold, it really did put us in the Christmas mood. Who can worry about cold when there is hot, steaming mugs of Gluehwein to be had? I must confess that I skipped the Gluehwein this year and had a latte spiked with Baileys instead. Slurp. Grandpa and the girls
Traditional German Christmas Cookies

found underfoot Baseball sized marshmallows. "I want that one."

Got it. Carousel ride!

Trier (It's in Germany)

The last day trip we took before Emily and Jeff headed home was to Trier, Germany. Settled along the Moselle River, Trier bills itself as Germany's oldest city. Although we'd been to Trier several times - Christmas Market, circus and fabric fair - we have never explored the city. Now I'm wondering what took us so long.

Trier is a beautiful city with much to see. It has several Roman structures, beautiful cathedrals, a "Palace," beautiful gardens, museums, and a great pedestrian walking zone. It is only 45 minutes away from Luxembourg City!

We started at the Palace of Trier, mostly enjoying the beautiful garden in front of it.

We walked to the Amphitheater, one of the Roman structures Trier is known for. It was a long (for kids) HOT walk. Honestly the Amphitheater didn't do that much for us. Maybe it was the heat. We did enjoy sitting in it's courtyard sharing enormous bottles of Fanta that we bought for only 80 cents. I think the Roman Baths would have been a better choice that day.

Next we toured the Cathedral of St. Peter. It was magnificent. The courtyard outside was glorious as well. Emily had the girls pose by some beautiful old doors a couple times. After that Audrey wanted her picture in front of every door we passed.

Our last stop was the pedestrian zone. We ate pretzels (called bretzels here) bought postcards and ended the day with gelato.

If you're planning a trip to this part of Europe I highly recommend a stop in Trier.

This one is for . . .

KATERINA!

Saturday afternoon I received the most thoughtful email telling me about a fabric fair on Sunday in Trier, Germany. The email was from a reader who is also an expat here in Luxembourg. From reading my blog she knew that I'd love the fabric fair and took the time to email me about it. And, the best part is . . . WE WENT!! Thank you Katerina!

I really didn't want to torture Bryce and the girls with a fabric fair. But my (totally awesome) husband was up for it. We spent about 1.5 hours at the fair and then had a late lunch in Trier. It was a great afternoon especially for me.

The fair, called Stoffmarket Holland, had booths and booths of all kinds of fabric, oodles of notions, and more lace and trim than I'd ever seen. I was surprised that I didn't recognize more of the fabric brands. They must have all been German companies. I did see one booth that had a few bolts of Amy Butler fabric but that was all that was familiar to me. It was really fun seeing all new designs.

Naturally I *had* to purchase a few meters of fabric. I didn't go crazy. I am in the process of eliminating my scraps and stash. I ended up with 2 1/2 meters of fabric, with my favorite being the soft blue with little silhouettes printed on it. It was also available in pale pink and pale lavender.

Thanks again Katerina!

The Trier Christmas Market

Walking to the market

It was such a pleasant day - a peaceful train ride and then a festive tour of one of Germany's famous Christmas Markets. Here are some highlights:

There were wonderful German handicrafts and Christmas merchandise to purchase. I couldn't resist these wooden Christmas decorations.

The food and merchandise vendors were each housed in these little cute wooden houses. Each house was ornately decorated and very festive looking. Here is a peek at their roof tops.

Gingerbread hearts decorated in true Bavarian style.

Gluehwein or Glow wine is sold and served in these mugs. It is served warm and was just the thing to take the chill off as we wandered through the market. The mugs can be kept as souvenirs or returned to the vendor in exchange for 4 euros.

There were many street musicians as well as performances put on by the Market.

We were at the market on St. Nikolas day so naturally he made an appearance there. We were lucky to catch him right as he was starting to greet children, so Eva was able to say hello and get a chocolate.

This was one of 2 carousels at the market. Eva eagerly hopped on, but Audrey needed a little convincing.

Coincidently I read another blog post today about a Christmas Market in Munich. Lookie here. More pictures from our trip here.

Perfectly Transported

Ah, we found it! The perfect way to travel with a squirmy, wiggly toddler - the train! We had a wonderful train ride to Trier. It took about 45 minutes, just the right amount of time. We had comfy seats, a huge picture window, snacks, books and most importantly for Audrey - no carseat. We saw some cute little towns, lots of woods, and rolling green hills. We made it to the Christmas Market in no time at all and arrived relaxed and in high spirits. The Trier Christmas Market was incredible. Definitley the most fun we've had since we've been here. Look for all the festive details this week. There are a few more train pictures here.