I had the pleasure of visiting Speyer several times during my tour of duty in Germany. The Cathedral is stunning; I hope to be able to see it completely restored to its original state. Remnants of the walls of the old city are still extant at various places around the basilica and they give you some sense of how important the church was in this city. The best view of the church? From the bridge across the Rhein River you can see this large, yet simple church on the hill fits into the geography of the town around it. You also have a great view of the other beautiful churches in Speyer. After the Koelner Dom, this was my absolute favorite building in Germany.