Trier & Luxembourg
Well really just Trier. We’ve done Luxembourg tours before and opted for an afternoon of sailing on the Moselle. We also opted for the Roman Tour of Trier rather than the general tour. Our guide had studied archaeology, and gave us a good description of the sites. It was mostly a bus and walking tour with the addition of a nice tour of the Imperial Baths. 

Exterior walls of the Imperial Baths

Construction was begun on these baths but never finished. When work began, Trier was capital of the Gallic component of the Roman Tetrarchy and Constantine was a resident. Somewhere along the way the capital moved and Constantine moved with it. With him gone, there was no support to complete the baths. The complex measured 500 feet by 800 feet and included hot, medium, and cold baths. They’ve been excavated, and most of our tour was underground in the sewer. We were able to see how the baths were heated, drained, and to get a general idea of their layout. The photo below shows four brick columns that would have supported the original floor. Hot air from charcoal fires circulated under the floor to heat it. 

Reproduction of a Roman funeral monument--probably for a wine merchant. The statue shows a wine hauling ship.

Constantine's Basilica (the imperial throne room) was another highlight of Trier. The basilica measures 219 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 108 feet tall. The roof has been replaced, and the building has been modified on one side, but most of the original Roman brick walls are still standing. An evangelical church now meets in the basilica.  

The tour ended at the Porta Nigra, the only surviving city gate from the Roman era. 

We got back to the ship around noon and immediately went down to the buffet lunch. The group going to Luxembourg left at 1:30, and the ship set sail around 1:45. We’re sitting in a little lounge on the very front of the ship and watching the river go by! It’s shaded and has chest-high glass in front to block the wind. The chairs are also more comfortable than the deck chairs. 

The Luxembourg tour will rejoin the ship around 6:00 in Riol, Germany. The main portion of the sun deck is closed. All the railings, sun shades, and deck chairs are folded down flat to get us under the bridges without scraping. The pilot house on top of the ship also lowers.