Trier and Bonn

Saturday Christian and I went to Trier for the afternoon.  It was so neat -- supposedly it's the oldest city in Germany, and it has the Constantine Basilica as well as the Roman baths.  Oh, and the Porta Nigra, this really neat gate that marks the pedestrian outdoor mall entrance.  There was also the Palace of Trier, which had some amazing outdoor gardens surrounding it.  (If you are walking from the Porta Nigra, you pass the Basilica and the Palace to get to the Roman baths.)  It was quite interesting for Christian and I to be wandering around on our own.  Neither of us knew exactly which stop to get off in Trier (there were two), so we just guessed.  We chose wisely.  There were tons of people there -- you could really tell that Trier is much more tourist-y than Saarburg.  It was still worth it though to see the Roman ruins and the gardens (and Porta Nigra).  Highly recommend a visit.

Sunday, a big group of us traveled to Bonn, the birthplace of Beethoven.  The train ride on the way took us past tons of vineyards and through the mountains, a few hours north of Saarburg.  We only had one train change, in Koblenz.  We went to Beethoven's house, which was Awesome, then took a ferry ride down the Rhine river, which was also Awesome, then... well, we couldn't stay and walk up the mountain to see the ruins because we had to get back for the train.  We made our train in plenty of time, then got off at the first Koblenz train stop.  Oops.  Wrong one!  So we walked the mile or so to the correct station and continued our journey back with plenty of time to spare.


Now begins week two of the Festival, which is when all the performances are.  I do not remember completely, but I think we play concerts every day starting tomorrow! 

More soon...