Day 3 - Ramstein / Trier [Germany]

After too much time and excitement in Jersey, I finally made it here. Here being a small town called Trier, situated near the mouth of the Mosel River: Google Map

The "broken" plane did indeed take off yesterday afternoon, and it landed, in Germany! Apparently, the type of plane I flew on, a C-5, is notorious for having issues. Not exactly the reputation I want for the plane that I am flying across the Atlantic, but hey - its a free ticket. Besides, I sat in the emergency exit aisle, so if anything went wrong, at least I'd be the first one out :P

The C-5 is the biggest airplane the Air Force has. The cargo goes in the fuselage, and the passengers sit facing the stern, up above in a little pooka. I don't know when our plane was built, but it looked like it was right off the set of M*A*S*H. The floor was covered in sky blue diamond-decking, you physically removed the armrests to lay down, everything was labeled, and there was definitely no in-flight movie. Instead of a perky flight attendant, a uniformed soldier showed us how to put on our seat belt. If ever there was a fire, we were supposed to put on these O2 devices, which were folded neatly in stenciled green bags, and head for the nearest exit (I think thats what we were supposed to do - I wasn't really paying attention at that point. Good thing we didn't catch on fire). Even the issued ear-plugs couldn't drown out the tremendous roar of the engines as we lurched forward in our seats at take off. We did get dinner, a ham & government cheese sandwich and a sprite. Yum!

8 hrs later and no sleep later, we landed in foggy Ramstein. I struck up a conversation with an Air Force Tech Sgt who is stationed out here. He gave me tons of good advice, and then asked me if I wanted a lift to Trier. I took him up on his offer, and next thing I knew, we were off on the Autobahn for the Mosel River Valley.


Trier is the oldest city in Germany, claimed to have been settled some 1,300 years before Rome. The first thing you see is the Porta Negra, the oldest building in Germany. It looks old. The gate leads to an iconic German Town Square. Shops line the brick street, and people were out en masse eating and gawking at the architecture. There is much history here, and most of it quite interesting.



For example, in the city square, the local bishop of St. Gangolf Church and the seated Archbishop had a long standing feud. When the townsfolk wanted a Town Hall, the Archbishop wouldn't let them build one; for fear that they would organize and revolt. So the local bishop had a meeting place built instead. Note the two knights (you can't really see them). If you look closelz, the one facing St Gangolf's church has his visor lifted and is gazing at the townsfolk. The one facing the Archbishop's cathedral has his visor down and sword at the ready to fend off attack. Needless to say, this didn't go over well with the Vatican.




All over the city are remarkable pieces of art and wonderful examples of Roman and German architecture. Due to the late time I got to Trier, and my need to find a hotel to clean up after living in my car and on the plane, I only explored the previously mentioned Cathedral.

This building is an amazing collection of religious art. The Cathedral dates back to 6th century BC, and it contains several important relics; including a robe thought to have been worn by Jesus, and a holy nail said to have pierced his palm. Several Bishops are buried in the floor, and ornate sculptures have been erected, paying tribute to them. If my first building on my first visit to Europe is any indication of what this is going to be like, I'm in for a heck of a trip.
















Tomorrow, I will explore the city a little more, before I head down river to check out the castles.