It has been a very interesting day, if you like history and archeology. I spent most of the day at the Xanten Archeological Park. It is the site of the Roman settlement from about 12 BC to about 400 AD. The German tribes had been living in and around the site for at least 3000 years before the romans. It is the only Roman settlement not to have been extensively build over in all of Germany. It had reconstructed a temple, homes, mills, and the amphitheater. Tonight at the amphitheater they are having a Michael Jackson concert. See the picture below.
I returned to town and visited the Catherdal as it is the largest one between cologne and the sea. It was very impressive as it was a Catherdal without ever having a bishop. In the tombs below were memorial to six Christian martyrs who died protesting again the National Socialist after the beginning of the holocaust. I ended the day with a grilled plate of pork and beef, and of course a beer or two.
Tomorrow I get back on the road and will start putting myself into position to take the train back to Stuttgart.
What a fantastic day. Wish I had been there. We can't believe the Roman columns. Are they recreations or original? Looking forward to your future blogs and return Wednesday.
ReplyDeleteJ & L