Tuesday 25 March 2014

Trier Christmas Markets Saturday 14 December 2013

It is my brothers birthday today so happy birthday to Paul!
It is also a free day for everyone to explore Trier at their leisure. As well as the Christmas Markets there is excellent shopping and lots of Roman remains to see.
Breakfast was in the main dining room and it is a pleasure sitting here looking out over the city through the large clear windows. As is the norm in Germany the breakfast spread was excellent.
After my breakfast I wander through the town to the coach and somewhere to park. I could leave it here but the payment is per hour and over twelve hours would be very dear indeed and would require a bucketful of coins! And I would have to buy a new ticket every four hours through the day!
There is a coach park on the outskirts with a shuttle bus running every ten minutes so that is my plan for parking.
I also want to fill up with fuel so I won’t have to worry on the way home.
I drive out to the parking area to see where it is (by the river and next to McDonalds and called Messepark) and then go back to a Shell garage I passed close by. I pull up on the pump and go into the shop to check they will take my Visa card but unfortunately they do not take any cards! How odd for a large garage with commercial pumps.
Further down past the city centre the other way is another garage and I have a lot more luck there.
Back at the coach park there must be thirty coaches parked, most of them arriving in the half hour I searched for fuel, and I’m glad to bag a space.
I lock up and within a couple of minutes the shuttle bus arrives and takes me back to very close by the hotel. I can relax for the day now.
I have a really enjoyable stroll around the city centre just as it is all waking up. I love busy towns/cities as they are getting ready for another day where there is a lovely quiet bustle that will give way to the throngs of masses very soon.
It is very cold but at least the rain has stopped. I even manage to purchase a couple of Christmas presents which I drop back at the hotel before going off to look for somewhere for lunch.
I happened across an Irish pub yesterday that shows English football so think it best I return for a pint of Guinness and some footie! Well it is Saturday!
The football today is Manchester City v Arsenal but is on BT and not Sky and the pub only has Sky. Still the Guinness is not bad.
I meet up with Dot and Nicola and we go to a nearby Italian for lunch. We all have a delicious pizza but it is a little late for me and will suffer later!
I have a lazy afternoon listening to Chelsea beat Crystal Palace 2-1.
By the time dinner comes round this evening I am still too full to eat anything so just sit and chat while all those around eat!
Dinner is in the main restaurant tonight which is lovely as you can see the floodlit Porta Nigra through the windows.
After dinner (?) I go for a stroll around the market and end up buying a hot potato cake to munch on. These are flat pieces of potato that are fried in batter and you see lots of people walking around eating them. They also look very appetising. Shame I didn’t like them too much then!
They are okay but all you seem to taste is the fat they are cooked in. Maybe I’m still too full!


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