European Adventure Days 5-7

Thursday morning we were up and on the road early, on our way south. Cahl got to drive on the Autobahn for a few hours, and we stopped at Eltz Castle for a tour and lunch. The castle is amazing! It is about a mile walk or so from the parking lot, through woods above a river, and you can't see the castle until the very end, when you round a corner. It is a medieval castle that has been there since the mid 800s, and was used as a fortress to protect trade routes for several hundred years. The family that occupied it was actually 3 branches of the same family, and they lived in 3 separate wings with shared living areas. Now only 1 branch still lives in and controls the castle and land, but it was so beautiful to walk through and learn about! 

After the castle tour, we headed down to Trier. There is the oldest cathedrals in Germany, and one of the oldest in the world. It was built in the 300s by Romans, and contains some incredible artifacts- the robe said to have been worn by Jesus shortly before his crucifixion, the skull of St. Helena, the mother of Emperor Constantine, and a Holy Nail from the Cross of Jesus. It is a beautiful building, and it's so cool to see the different styles of architecture from throughout history as it's been rebuilt and added to over the years. From there, we walked through the own square over to the Porta Nigra, which is the last standing Roman gate of the city, built in 170. It is a beautiful structure, even though it is currently under construction, and we weren't able to tour it. 

From Trier, we drove down into Luxembourg City for the night. We met up with Tristan's girlfriend Jazzlyn, for dinner and the evening. We walked all around the city and had dinner, before heading back to the hotel for the night. 

Friday morning we had breakfast with Tristan and Jazz, then they headed back to Germany and we headed back into Belgium to visit Bastogne, where the Battle of the Bulge took place. We went to the 101st Airborne Museum, then walked downtown to check out the shops. It is a super cute town, and hopefully we can go back someday, because there a lot more things I'd like to see!

We crossed into France, and our first stop was Belleau Wood to visit the Marine Corp monument and cemetery. The battle of Belleau Wood in 1918 earned the Marines their nickname of Devil Dogs, and it is also where the 5th and 6th Marine Regiments were awarded the French Fourragere- a special award worn only by those units for their service at Belleau Wood. Cahl is a member of the 5th Regiment, so visiting this place was very special to us, and a deep reminder of those who have come before us. 

Our last stop of the day was Paris! We got there late in the afternoon, and found our hotel- the Maison Astor. The hotel was built by John Jacob Astor in 1907, and it is incredible! It's tucked into a quiet little side street, and we loved staying there. That evening we walked over to the Moulin Rouge, and then on to the Basilica of the Sacred Heart of Montmartre. The basilica is young by European standards, built in the late 1800s, but it is truly beautiful inside and out and the view of the city is unmatched! 

Saturday we had a day packed with seeing Paris. We started off early with a tour of the Catacombs, which is pretty interesting and very well done.

Then headed over to the Eiffel Tower. Tickets had been sold out online, but once we got there, we were able to get tickets all the way to the summit, so we were super excited. We checked out the 2nd and 3rd stories, then rode the elevator to the top where the view is amazing. It was pretty windy and rainy that day, but once we got the the summit we didn't even notice it. It wasn't very crowded, and we had the best time seeing what landmarks we could see and recognize. I loved seeing Eiffel's office, and I even used the bathroom up there, just to say I did! My only regret is that we didn't have the chance to see the light show at night when it sparkles. 

From the tower, we crossed the street to an outdoor market for lunch. Then we crossed the river and walked over to Place Diana, which is a memorial to Princess Diana. We made our way back to the hotel for a quick nap before heading back toward the river for dinner. We stopped at Notre Dame just in time to hear the bells chiming, but we didn't have a chance to go inside. 

Dinner that evening was a cruise on the Seine River, and since it was still rainy, we loved the glass top boat and the chance to see so many landmarks. After dinner, we hopped in a rickshaw to get over to the Louvre. It was closed for the night, but the building itself and the glass pyramids were beautiful at night.