Luxembourg Capital - Contrast between modernity and history

One way to end this short getaway is to visit Luxembourg and its capital which is a very developed industrial and commercial city being one of the richest cities in Europe. It is an important administrative and financial center. There are several institutions of the European Union, such as the European Court of Justice, the Court of Auditors and the European Investment Bank.

In contrast to modernity are the spectacular Casemates du Bock, remains of old medieval fortifications of the city of Luxembourg with an interesting subterranean system of passageways and galleries excavated in rocks. During the two Great World Wars thousands of people hid inside these tunnels.

It is recommended that, in order to escape the major tourist flow, it is necessary to go after August and before the winter because the castles close at that time.

With charming landscapes and typical German flavors this region reveals a vast historical and cultural heritage that is worth discovering.

Trier - The birthplace of Karl Marx

We continue trip to Trier, historical city and the oldest one of Germany. It is located in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, near the border with Luxembourg.

It has a very rich architecture and ancient Roman ruins like Porta Nigra. This portal of the city was so called because of the stones darkened with the passage of time. This is the oldest defense structure in Germany, dating back to the 3rd century. It is impressive by its size, 36 meters long, 21.5 meters wide and 30 meters high. Its structure is composed of large blocks of stone not bearing mortar!

Trier is the birthplace of Karl Marx. Son of parents of Jewish ancestry, he studied law and philosophy in Bonn and Berlin. In 2016 it would be 198 years. The visit to the Karl Marx museum, created in his residence, is fundamental to realize in loco the Marxist ideology. It is an inescapable name of universal history.

Cochem - A charming town in the Mosel river

Following to the small and seductive town of Cochem. As we round a hill we discover the charming imperial castle that reveals all its magic and splendor!

Cochem is lively and colorful and its houses, with the wooden structure visible from the outside, leave a typical mark of this zone of Germany.

In the busiest street of this city we can find the bustle of the local commerce and we are captivated by the aroma of the varied German pastry, being irresistible to taste the typical Berliner (a Doughnut) with strawberry jam.

The Moselle River invites to a cruise that dazzles us by the landscape in which the green of the vines in the cliffs that surround the river accompany us during the whole route. It is interesting to see how the grapes are taken from the hills. Several lifts outline the landscape and carry baskets full with grapes.

Burg Eltz - Timeless Castle

It is difficult to choose what to visit because the attractions are many and Germany is known for its famous castles. The most famous is Neuschwanstein which served as inspiration for the castle of Sleeping Beauty at Disneyland Paris. However, one of the most beautiful castles in Germany is the Burg Eltz, 36 km from Koblenz. 

It is more than 850 years old (supposed to have been built in the twelfth century), never captured or destroyed and remained intact in the wars of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, as well as the social upheavals created by the French revolution. Always belonging to the Zu Eltz family, its furniture and objects have been maintained throughout the centuries.