What have the Romans ever done for us?

Yesterday evening we arrived at a popular tourist destination. Located on the banks of the river Mosel this city was founded over 2,000 years ago by the Romans under the name Augusta Treverorum, today: Trier(Treves).

Hauptmarkt Trier (main market)

Its Latin name proves the importance for the Roman empire. The town was named after Augustus, the emperor.

Trier was huge, as this model grabbed from Wikimedia shows, and it had everything, from spas to amphitheaters. In short through invasion and occupation the Romans brought civilization to the rest of Europe...

Source

REG: All right, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?  (Quote from the brilliant movie Life of Brian, video snippet --> here) 

We arrived on a busy weekend and got the last room in the hotel Römischer Kaiser (Roman Emperor), which had a partial view of the Porta Nigra, a UNESCO World Heritage (on the upper right side). The hotel was spot on in the city center, adjacent to the Roman gate. The room was great, and super clean, and the breakfast excellent.

All important sights are in walking distance. The Porta Nigra is built from grey sandstone, hence the name.

Although heavily destroyed in the WWII some buildings survived or could be restored. We strolled through the pedestrian zone. Again the Roman gate dominating the background.

Foundation for this building was laid in 1230. Today it features an excellent ice cream parlor on the ground floor (We had sorbet...)

A different style of well restored Fachwerk (half timbered) houses.

Fountain and another building pretty in pink.

Cathedral of Trier, another World Heritage site on the left, and the Liebfrauenkirche on the right.

Built on the foundation of Roman buildings.

Destroyed and restored a few times.

It's not old really, built around the 13th century, or so.

The Basilica of Constantine, built in the 4th century, was equipped with a wall and floor heating system!!!

What could this be? A vinothek (wine tasting room) of course.

Roland gathering some energy in order to survive the second part of the sightseeing tour.

Although already impressed by the variety of buildings and their architecture, there was still more to discover...

The Kaiserthermen (Imperor's Bath / Spa) - Bathing was very important to the Romans, and was done in public bathrooms, where they relaxed, socialized, gambled or attended to their businesses, butt-naked...

They even had hot water back in the days... Some more information about this (yet another world heritage site) can be found here.

We were exhausted, and when the light faded we went back to our hotel. We didn't have more time left in our travel schedule but will be back another day to learn more about what the Romans have done to us...

(El Diente, you might find this information helpful in case you need a plan B...)