Trier, Germany and Koln, Germany

After a couple of days around Cochem, we went to the larger city of Trier, Germany to see a couple of sights:

First stop: Geburtshaus von Karl Marx

My father named my brother Karl Marx Bryan.....sigh. So he wanted to go to his namesake's birth house to gain a little perspective.

These were his final words in the guestbook once we finished the tour:

 The Portra Nigra Gate: The largest Roman gate North of the Alps.

Liebfrauenkirche (The Trier Cathedral):

 

 Have not idea what this is (if someone can tell me, please do):

We spent one more night in Cochem, and in the morning we had my Mom drive us to the train station. We had exactly two days left on our train pass and we meant to use them. We figured that we could get up to Amsterdam, stop in Koln, and make it back to my grandparents house in Gescher, Germany just in time for the end of our last day on the train pass. We had now been traveling almost completely on our own for three and a half weeks, and I was in overdrive. Everywhere we went, I was the navigator, so the second we stepped off the train in Koln, I was was running around looking for a map to find the one thing we stopped to see: the famous cathedral. This is where a huge fight could have ensued if Alex hadn't chosen to be the sweetest boyfriend in the world: While I was running around like a mad woman, he was very gently pushing me towards the exit of the train station, and quietly insisting that I take a look outside. I in turn told him to shut up, I'm trying to find a tourist kiosk. It wasn't until he physically turned me about and forced my head up that I saw THROUGH THE RIDICULOUSLY HUGE WINDOWS the cathedral. Literally right in front of the station. I embarrassingly walked outside with him and up the step of the cathedral...and admitted that maybe he could lead every once in a while. And he graciously never rubbed it in my face.

So here's the cathedral:

 And here is the train station from the top of the steps....it was that close, and yes, the windows were THAT BIG:

 Here are some pictures of the inside:

 One last look before we left:

I went to the cathedral in Koln when I was twelve and was enchanted by it, which is why I insisted we stop on the way to Amsterdam. Even if we only got to enjoy the cathedral for an hour, it was worth the stopover. And now onward, it was the last 24 hours of our trip, and we meant to use it!