DAY TRIP TO TRIER, GERMANY July 23, 2018

Only a thirty minute drive from our home in Lenningen we drove to visit the oldest city in Germany, Trier. It's an ancient Roman capital with a stunning Roman Gate entrance. We visited Germany's oldest Christian Church, several market squares and Roman ruins.  We arrived early enough in the morning to join a city tour which met at the Tourist Info Center.  Trier was founded in 15 BC by Augustus and was Roman occupied for 500 years.  According to our guide, for most of the fourth century this city of 80,000 had a four mile long wall, four great gates and 47 round towers. Amazing. Only one of the four gates remains, the Portu Nigra, which was built without mortar, only iron pegs to hold the sandstone blocks together. 

The city's St Peter's Cathedral is the oldest in Germany and largest intact Roman structure outside of Rome. Now also a Wold UNESCO World Heritage site since 1986.

 We ended the tour and stopped in this little plaza for lunch.

 Trier's Market squares

 The Palace of the Archbishops

It had been a really hot day with lots of walking, so we decided to save a visit to the Roman Amphitheater and Baths for another visit, another day.