A Trip Back in Time

Sure, Boston is full of history, but it's got nothing on European cities.  And most European cities have nothing on a place like Augusta Raurica, which we visited today.  Augusta Raurica is the oldest known Roman colony on the Rhine, and the Rhine is what took us there today.

Layla has been dying to go on a "big boat", the kind that she sees people eating on.  We were able to combine a 2 hour boat ride with a visit to the ruins.  

The view from the Rhine. 

We stayed inside for most of the trip.
It was hot and sunny out on the deck!

Josh contemplates a dip in the river. 

The trip took us through two locks or, as the kids were calling them, "boat elevators".

Josh explains how the lock works: "We go up!"

Auf wiederluege!

Once we stepped off the boat, it was a bit confusing about how to get to the actual site.  The town of Kaiseraugst was eerily quiet (Sundays in Switzerland), but we found some pedestrians to ask for directions.  And lucky us, we found the right guys!  One was born and raised in this small town (roughly 6,000 residents) and the other was his friend visiting from his current home in Needham, MA.  They walked with us for a bit as they directed us to the ruins.  Along the way they took us by this portion of a Roman wall, circa 260 AD. The colony is believed to have been founded in 44 BC.

Love how this ancient wall stands right next to a school's soccer field.
Our "guide" explained that prior to the walls being preserved in the 1950s,
many of the modern homes used stone from the walls in their construction.  

This is how Josh feels about Roman ruins.

En route to the ruins we found these sheep that appeared to be grazing in someone's backyard.

Part of the old theater, which is currently used for performances.  

The best preserved Roman oven north of the Alps.

Entrance to the theater.

We learned a new word today.  Lapidarium: A place where stone monuments and fragments of archaeological interest are exhibited - stone epigraphs, statues, architectural details like columns, cornices and acroterions, as well as tombstones and sarcophagi. Such collections are often placed in the yards of archaeological and historical museums in the open air. (Thank you, Wikipedia)

It was a long, hot day and we opted for the 15 minute train ride back to the city instead of another 2 hours on a boat!