Moving on to Trier, the Monkey stops for a moment of repose in the shade of the Palace Garden. The pink building behind him is the 17th Century Elector's Palace, now used as offices by the local government. The taller brick building to the left is the 4th Century Aula Palatina (today called the Basilica). It served as part of a Roman imperial palace in the era of Constantine the Great, who became the undisputed Emperor of the Roman Empire and converted to Christianity, thereby establishing it as the dominant, or at least favored, religion throughout the empire. Another of Constantine's accomplishments was his 324 decision to begin the conversion of the small town of Byzantium into the new capital of the Roman Empire. Six years later, in May of 330 Rome was replaced by the New Rome, Constantinople (today's Istanbul, Turkey).

A quaint display outside a restaurant in central Trier. The Monkey couldn't resist stopping for a photo by the bottles. The Mosel-Saar-Ruwer region around Trier is renowned for its white wine varieties, including the famous Riesling.

Trier is Germany's oldest city. It was founded in the 15th Century BC and underwent major development as the site of a Roman imperial outpost. Today it boasts a wealth of remains from its Roman past. Here the Monkey visits the ruins of Trier's 4th Century Roman bath—one of the largest in the entire empire—on a beautiful sunny day. Another claim to fame for Trier is that it was the birthplace of the 19th Century's most influential political thinker, Karl Marx, who set forth the economic theory of Communism in his 1848 masterpiece, The Communist Manifesto (with Friedrich Engels). At right is the sign of the Trier street dedicated to Marx.

Karl Marx Street in Trier, his birthplace.

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