Avenches - the old Roman capital of Helvetia

With Bryan off on his ski trip with his church buddies, Steph and I and the kids selected Avenches (ah-vahnsh in French speak) as our outing for today. It's about an hour and a half from home and its fame is that in the 1st and 2nd centuries after Christ, it was one of the largest Roman cities - about 20,000 people.

What a great family trip! We had a great time viewing the old ampitheatre, the sanctuary (a place of worship for Helvetians from all of Switzerland) and the old Roman wall along with its only remaining tower. Most of the old Roman ruins are out in the open, surrounded by farm land, while the ampitheatre is just outside the modern little village of Avenches. The kids enjoyed pretending to be lions and other wild animals in the ampitheatre for the spectators, Stephanie and myself. They also were proficient at playing gargoyle atop the various walls.

We ate lunch atop the old Roman wall, then went to the neighboring village of Morat, the best preserved medeival village in Switzerland. Later in the day, we came back to Avenches to tour a fine museum with artifacts recovered from the surrounding area.