[volkman10]

Germany is one of my most favorite European cities. I have been there a few times and every time am amazed by how it is. Gone were the days when
it was rumored to be difficult for tourist due to the language barrier.
Love the multicultural feel of the city. now people from every race and every country are seen in every nook and corner!

Since the Schengen visa was still valid, it was not much of a hassle. Guessed so even the temperatures would be moderate so was travelling light minus the winter wear.
Since on the last vist had travelled in LH, this time decided to switch to Air France.

Planned the trip via Luxembourg.
Bangalore --> Paris--> Luxembourg (Road) --> Germany(Road)--> Paris--> Bangalore

At BIAL , Air France counter


AF191 Dep. 01:50


AT CDG -Paris , 08:30am , 4 deg C - arrival @ Terminal 2C


Had a few hours in transit before departure to Luxembourg from Terminal 2D.


A 50 minute flight (AF 4602) to Luxembourg. A comparatively smaller airport.



At the baggage conveyor



Luxembourg airport -Outside view


Taken a Merc cab from Luxembourg to Germany for 58 Euro. Very secenic as the trip was thorogh winding roads and valleys.







German Border



Destination at Germany was Trier -Germany's oldest city. Trier is a historic city in west central Germany, just six miles from the Luxembourg border.

Trier - Situated in a valley



The Hotel situated in the city place is very convenient as the shopping centers are beside it.







It still feels pleasantly small today, despite its population of 100,000. Trier's market square is one of the nicest in Germany, filled with fruit stands, flowers, painted facades, and fountains.




Catholic pilgrims still come to Trier in large numbers to honor the relic of the Holy Robe at the Dom St. Peter] -a Roman Catholic church which dates back to Roman times and is home to the Holy Tunic, a garment with a recorded history back to the 12th century, in Catholic tradition said to be the robe Jesus was wearing when he died. It is only exhibited every few decades, at irregular intervals.
The “Tunic of Jesus Christ” went on display today for the first time in 16 years.
The tunic is believed to be the garment worn by Jesus Christ prior to his crucifixion, quoted in the Gospel of St. John as “seamless.”
The tunic, also known as the “Holy Robe” and “Christ’s Seamless Tunic,” is on display from April 13 to May 13 in Trier.
Was a great honor to have seen this piece of garment on display. No photographs were allowed in the Dom (cathedral) . The next set of pics relate to this and the last is the closest pic I could take.

Celebrations till may 13th


The cathedral in view




The Tunic on display. In the last century the sacred robe was displayed only thrice, 1933,1959 and in 1996.

[volkman10]

Breakfast in Germany is a real treat. There is a wide spread to choose from. Variety of breads, cold meat (including the sausages), cheese and variety of sweet toppings like jam, marmalade , honey,etc.
Soft-boiled eggs, cereals,fruits and juice would round out a large breakfast. Tea is more predominant though coffee is too available.
A close to an hours time is allotted to breakfast !





Mixing a bit of fun with work had a trip to the Triolago at Riol, a few km from Trier.


In Riol it has a lake and an Alpine coaster in addition to the various recreational activities.

Parking lot.


Scenic beauty - Moselle valley


Recreational Lake


For summer- Outdoor camping ( available only in summer,current temp of 4 deg C )






The best part of the Triolago is the Alpine Coaster. Similar to a roller coater, but in an individual car called the 'sledge' with accelerator and brake controlled by the individual. Courageous can reach speeds up to 40 km / h on a path length of 1170 m.


The sledge (car) with hand operated accelerator and brake


Uphill




Winding path

The car course has a TÜV approval and has a comprehensive safety system, the tilt and wobble of the carriages derailed or prevented. The passenger is secured with a three-point seatbelt while driving.





Finishing point




Now the next lap of the trip was to France. Had the Audi A3 TFSI Sportback (123 hp) for the trip. Stop over in FRANCE was Reims -capital of Champagne. -A town centre which offers both the elegance of its Art Deco facades and its relaxed atmosphere which prevails in the streets and on the café-terraces, a program of many and varied cultural events, a green environment where nature is queen.





A great 3 hour road trip with average speed of 90 kmph and peak at 140 km/h.

[volkman10]

Entering Reims-
When one thinks of France, visions of the Eiffel Tower and even the Louvre may quickly come to mind, but off the beaten path may open the doors to some other hidden gems of France. Reims is one such.

Noted for several major producers of champagne on the long drive through the French farm region.-A town centre which offers both the elegance of its Art Deco facades and its relaxed atmosphere which prevails in the streets and on the café-terraces, a program of many and varied cultural events, a green environment where nature is queen. The best part is it is small enough to be explored on foot

REIMS






The highlight in Reims is the famous Cathedral which was was completed by the end of the 13th century. The towers is of 267 ft. high.The three portals of the west front are positively laden with medieval statues.





Resumed the trip to Paris. A 3 hour trip through the french villages was a very scenic.





Gas at 1.75 Euro/lit


Toll booth



Entering Paris, can see the violation of pedestrians crossing while Red. Traffic congested and horn extensively used. Felt at home seeing this!





Room at Mercure was good at 130 Euro/day.


View from the room


Covered a few of the top a tourist spots as could manage only a day in Paris.

Eiffel tower
The most recognizable monument in Paris and is breathtaking to behold. the illuminated tower at night is awesome.



Night view of the tower!





Louvre Museum
The Louvre's most popular piece is Leonardo da Vinci's "Mona Lisa." One of the oldest museums in Europe.


Attachment 926741


Notre Dame cathedral - A French Gothic architecture, sculpture and stained glass.The Notre Dame is the most popular monument in Paris and in all of France, beating even the Eiffel Tower in terms of visitors per day!

[volkman10]

Arc de Triomphe

The Arc de Triomphe the most monumental of all triumphal arches, is located at the western end of the Champs-Élysées. The arches whole decorative style is entirely of the tradition of sculpture from the first half of the nineteenth century.




Being in Paris for a day, in transit,could not have expected more. In France, Reims visit was the highlight as never really expected to me so histrionic!
That covered by and large the 7day German-French trip.To wrap up the last few pics before the return.
The AF 192 Paris -Bangalore flight from terminal 2C . The terminal with the revamping complete seems good now (earlier was an eyesore) .

Signing off with the rest of the pics below.

Terminal 2c


Gate C91


Newly opened 'Buy Paris' Duty free shop in Gates C80-91

[GTO]

Thread moved from the Assembly Line to the Travelogues Section. Thanks for sharing!

[selfdrive]

Good one volkman 100, though I havent seen all the pics yet!

Reims was one of the places which kind of didnt work out for us though it was on the to-visit list. Hope to see the pics in detail later.

Not sure if you saw my TL about Paris; I had put some advice on how to make the most of a day in Paris. Nevertheless, you seem to have covered most of the major points of interest.

Edit: I think you intended to say Germany is one of your favourite countries. if so, ditto

[n_aditya]

Excellent pictures, thanks for sharing. I was fantasizing riding a big bike on those nice wide open roads. Sigh!

[volkman10]

Update : March 2015 - Another German Visit

Well the year normally starts with a trip to a Scandinavian country but this time the team decides to start 2015 in Germany.
Germany , as previously mentioned is one of my all time favorite place in Europe, whether Winter, Spring, Summer or Autumn.

On checking the itinerary and surprising Air France was the cheapest ( but my least preferred- just due the confusing terminals at CDG- Paris). Anyways due to budget reasons decided on AF.
Rest of the trip in pictures.

Near completion of an ~ 9.5 hours sojourn in air!






Bird's eye view ~Paris


Near touchdown


@CDG- Paris ( Transit to Luxembourg)

[Cyborg]

Volkman.....
Hi,

Thank you for sharing your experiences. Superb pictures!

Request a clarification regarding your earlier visit to Trier and the Cathedral which displays Jesus's tunic. In which section of the photograph is Jesus's tunic displayed? Could you please mark His tunic in the picture and re-post that snap?

Thanks in advance.

Cheers

[volkman10]

At temperatures hovering around 0 to 1 deg C and mostly rain had no activity outdoor planned. Confined to mostly dinner and a bit of seeing the town (Trier).

Best part was having the Golf Sports van - a first for me. A roomier golf with more space all around and slightly higher driving position, feel of a SUV.



Familiar VW parts sharing



Town -Trier




German Restaurant and food

[volkman10]

Originally Posted by Cyborg

In which section of the photograph is Jesus's tunic displayed? Could you please mark His tunic in the picture and re-post that snap?

Hello Cyborg,
The Tunic cannot be photographed, the place is heavily guarded as photography is not permitted . As seen the Tunic is the same as seen in pictures . Too sacred a place with pin drop silence when venerating the Tunic.

[Cyborg]

Originally Posted by volkman10

Hello Cyborg,
The Tunic cannot be photographed, the place is heavily guarded as photography is not permitted . As seen the Tunic is the same as seen in pictures . Too sacred a place with pin drop silence when venerating the Tunic.

I read about photography in the Cathedral being prohibited in your post. However, there is a snap inside the Cathedral, above which you have mentioned the following:
"The Tunic on display. In the last century the sacred robe was displayed only thrice, 1933,1959 and in 1996."


I assumed the tunic is there in this snap and I could not spot it

Appreciate your revert Volkman.

Cheers