Trier, Germany

I'm having issues connecting to the internet in Trier, but loving the Roman gates and buildings and cruising on the Mosel River.

On the train to Trier I talked to two travelers, one a Frenchman, the other German.  I sat first then the man from Paris who also lived in Dresden sat facing me in 2 facing 2 seats with a table. I opened with, "You read French?" pointing to the newspaper he was reading. "I AM French, " he replied. It turns out he lived in Dresden and Boston and Rome as a postdoc in Physics. He teaches in Paris at a post-hs school to enter elite universities in science. He works kids hard and decries the fewer physics majors (like my brother-in-law who teaches college physics) because law and medicine are a little easier and more secure than science or engineering. He speaks many languages and explains the politics of EU vs. nationalism. In an economic downturn in Europe, national stereotypes are re-emerging after many years of boom time and a unified feeling. 

The second man travels as well, to Boston, Costa Rica, and practices tax law. He was traveling to catch a sailboat owned by his friend to sail back to Germany's North Sea, where he wants to retire (mandatory in Germany) to sail more. Both gentlemen spoke excellent English (1000% better than my German), have lived in Boston, and think Americans work too hard and too many hours. Germans have six weeks vacation and leave the office at a reasonable hour and their economy is the tent pole that holds up all of Europe. Meeting natives is the best window into the local culture.

The second gentleman decried how little Americans travel and how they don't try foreign languages. The Deutche Bahnhof advertisement says "Travel helps one see better." (rough translation)