Trier

Another good day, long may they continue.

I lounged around for a large chunk of the morning enjoying my air conditioning before heading out into the town by foot. That way I could have a good mooch and pop into places as I saw them. 

My first port of call was the Basilica of Constantine, it was once was the Roman Emperor’s audience hall and is the largest surviving room from Ancient Rome.  There is little interior decoration, much of it not replaced after war time air raids. 

My next stop was the birthplace of Karl

Marx, a figure who quite literally looms large in my household. He didn't spend much time here but after his death it served as a meeting place and focal point for the international socialist movement. The museum offers a wealth of information, not only about the life of Marx but also contextualising how his work has been used since his death.  

Carrying on, I found the Trierer Dom, the oldest Cathedral in Germany and another UNESCO heritage site. The Dom houses Christ's seamless robe, the one he was wearing before his crucifixion and the one the soldiers cast lots for (a fact that stays with me from Sunday school, I think I may have been quite fascinated by all these things decided by what I viewed as dice) It is seen now as a symbol of the undivided church. 

The next destination was very important - the book shop. I did loiter by the English section for a while - classics and contemporary literature sections were pushed aside by walls of romance and fantasy - but remembered the weight of my kindle compared to the weight of six books and so moved on. I left my map at home and the disorientation of following a route only on my phone has been driving me mad. I found the right section and after some confusion - you know the blocks on the back of OS maps that tell you what number you want? Not the case here, you seem to have to know the name area you are looking for. I found an appropriate map showing possible routes after Koblenz. 

After that I decided now was a good time to make use of said kindle so headed off for a meal.  I availed myself of Flammekueche, and washed it down with some local wine. I looked over at the Pirta Nigrea, another Roman building but the heat had ramped up and that air conditioning was calling my name.