I need some advice about what to do with a friend I’m flying in from the United States. I have much of the trip planned, but there are a few gaps in the schedule I’d like your help in filling. We’ll have a day in Trier, Germany. Other than taking an official tour and just walking around, I have no idea what else to do. In the almost-day we’ll be in Luxembourg City, wandering around the city is about all I know to do. There’s something interesting to do in these cities; I just don’t know what. It’ll be between 18 April and 20 April.
22 April will find us in Paris. I have no idea what to do that evening other than eat. I’m not sure what’ll be happening near the Eiffel Tower (our hotel will be near the tower). I already took the easy activity–we’ll be seeing the Tower the previous evening. If anyone has ideas of things to do in the morning, that’ll be good, too. You know, like when or where to watch the shops opening, stuff like that.
Thanks in advance for all your help.
PS-I’m sorry if this seems poorly written, but I spent most of the evening in the wind and rain on the side of the road with a blown tire. I’m tired and am not necessarily thinking straight.
It’s been quite a while but I remember a few things. In Luxembourg I would visit the casements. If you are into such things there is also the American Military Cemetary which contains many of the casualties of the Battle of the Bulge. Gen George S. Patton is also buried there. Trier is famous for it’s Roman ruins including the Porta Negra and a Roman amphitheatre. It is the oldest city in Germany and quite beautiful.
Thanks for the quick response. I’ll have to look up the casements in Luxembourg. I agree that Trier is beautiful. Maybe the tour and some walking will be enough. We’ll see what others have to say. Yawn! I’m going to bed.
It has been eons since I’ve been to Trier and Luxemborg. So this is not going to be of much help.
But I do recall a pretty cool roman arch entry that you could walk up. This was before I’d been to Italy, so this was the first roman structure I’d been to. And I remember being very impressed that, some 2000 years later, it was in as solid of condition that it was. Other than that, I don’t recall much from Trier (other than it was a rainy, gloomy day).
Other than the change to people speaking french, I don’t recall much of Luxemborg either. Sorry.
But for Paris:
best place for shops is the Forum Des Halles area. Multiple city blocks closed off to traffic. Tons of shops and restaurants. And great people watching as well.
best place to walk around is Montmarte area (top of the hill). This is the artist area, and there are lots of them willing to paint/draw your portrait. Great views of the city from Sacre Couer (church). There is a Salvador Dali museum tucked away up there as well.
and of course, Paris is museum central. I personally enjoyed the Musee D’Orsay more than the Lourve. The Rodin museum is also really cool.
Thanks for the tips. I’ll do my best to get the Forum Des Halles in our itinerary. The Monmartre will be our first morning’s early activity, then, per your suggestion, we’ll wander around the top of the hill for a few hours. We’ll stop for coffee and people watching, then get a painting before we leave. She’s very chatty so we’ll have a great time.
I’m getting the feeling that sightseeing in Trier and Luxembourg City are going to be the activity. They’ll be the warmup for the Paris leg of the trip. After Paris, we’ll use a few days in Munich to rest before the trips back home.
That was the Porta Negra which I mentioned in my first post. It is right in the middle of the city IIRC. The pictures I linked to are not mine. Just found them on a google search.
Also eons ago…on my first trip to Europe, I flew Icelandic Airlines to Luxembourg and then took a short train ride to Trier.
I found Luxembourg to be one of the unfriendliest places I had ever been, and it still ranks up there as making the French seem warm and cuddly in comparison. I suppose the landscape and buildings were worth a half day of sight-seeing though.
Trier, on the other hand, was a very friendly place. In two days I met a lot of really nice people who helped point me towards places to go and things to do. It is a quaint little border town with some nice old buildings and you can go and visit the home where Karl Marx was born and raised. I found it interesting to visit (and I was almost the only visitor that day) in that the house was actually quite palatial for those times. After visiting the house, I sort of got the feeling Marx was a spoiled little rich kid - something I had never considered when studying him in college.
At any rate - zip through Luxembourg, but plan on a nice leisurely stroll through Trier and ask if they still have that great beer cellar - and I do mean cellar…winding staircase going down into a large beer hall filled with students from the local university. It was a blast!
Karl Marx’s house you say? Hmm. That could be worth a look. After all, other than you, how many other people can say they’ve been in Karl Marx’s house? We’d better do that before the beer cellar.
Thanks for the tips, everyone, and please don’t hesitate to suggest more.
Also in Trier (Augusta Treverorum) there’s an excellent example of a Roman basilica (now churchified). I believe it’s part of . . . Constantine’s father’s (Constantius?) residence up there.
Well! Maybe we’ll just have lunch in Luxembourg then head back to Trier for the rest of the day. Ancient basilica, Roman baths, toasted witches, who could ask for more?