Trier

This was the last day of our trip before we settled into "ordinary life".  Trier is the oldest city in Germany, founded in 16 BC by Emperor Augustus in the land of the Celtics.  It lays on the Mosel River not far from Luxemburg.  It was called the second Rome and governed and area from Scotland to Morocco.  Several Emperors lived here, but the most famous was Constantine, the first Christian Emperor.  Some the buildings are 1,500 years old.

This first photo is of the Amphitheater in Trier.  This amphitheater was the 10th largest for its time.  It seated 20,000 guests.  The Amphitheater sat at the edge of the city was, so was about the 10 minute walk from the city center.  While many amphitheaters had gladiators, the largely Celtic audience didn't enjoy the blood and guts of the sport, so it was mainly used for sporting events, political rallies and religious festivals.  After Rome fell it was used as shelter from Barbarians, much the stone was stripped, and it was used as a vineyard.

This photo to the left is the most popular of all sites in Trier.  It is called Porta Negra or Black Gate.  It is "the most important, almost complete monument from Roman times north of the Alps." according the our tour book.  And it is impressively large and has a impressive history.  It was one of 4 gates in the 4 mile long wall.  The other three were destroyed by stone and metal thieves during Medieval times.  It was spared because a St. Simon (a greek) lived there for 7 years.  The gate was then turned into a church monastery.

There is still more to tell about Trier . . .