Trier

Trier was my strong request for this holiday. Biggest Roman city north of the Alps with substantial remains, including the Porta Negro, a huge Roman gatehouse to the city walls. Which just happened to be right opposite our brutalist hotel. Having deposited our luggage we headed out for a brief walkaround, then wine bar and dinner

And finally some shut eye

Next morning I left Thibault to sleep on and do some writing in the hotel while I explored as best as I could before our agreed departure time of 11:30am. Unfortunately the Roman art Museum was closed because it was a Monday.

But my first port of call was the Roman Gatehouse. Which I arrived at before any other touristy so had the whole place to myself. Indeed my timing was so perfect that after going all the way through it and using the app for the commentary, I found myself leaving at the precise moment a horde of primary school kids were arriving on a school trip. 

If you are wondering how this place survived so well compared to other Roman buildings, the answer is simply that it was used to make two tier church. And as a much expanded basilica it lasted until Napoleon marched in and had the later church additions demolished, just leaving the Roman core. 

The internal walls still bear the "scars" of later Christian carvings

This view from Porta Negro is of our hideous looking hotel. Fortunately it was much nicer inside than it looks from the outside!

This model shows the church that was wrapped around the original gatehouse

A picture showing Roman building techniques

This is how they made the upper floors accessible to the modern general public - the insertion of a concrete spiral staircase

After the gatehouse the next obvious target was the cathedral, originating from the 4th century (ie Roman, but with later Romanesque, Gothic and Baroque additions.

And there was still nearby the late Roman Basilica to visit. This was largely rebuilt after the War, and its interior is much emptier, but also more authentic the original really

And Trier also has a place. I was running out of time now so I only looked around the beautiful formal gardens 

 So farewell Trier. But definitely a place I intend to return to with more time. I reckon I could spend two or three full days here