Our last day in Scotland

The day before Chris and I left for Germany, we all went to Hadrian’s Wall.

First stop: Chesters Fort (along Hadrian’s Wall)
Second stop: Lunch (at Twice Brewed Inn)
Third stop: Steel Rig / Hadrian’s Wall
Last stops: Vindolanda (Chris and Tatiana); Hexham (Mom, Dad, Stacey and JA)

Top 10 most amazing things about the day:

1. the forts lay buried until the 20th century
2. there are still more ruins to excavate
3. Hadrian’s Wall and related forts were all built in the 1st and 2nd centuries
4. the Romans had an incredible understanding of how to channel and use water - from well-drained latrines, to complex bath houses, to water run-off from buildings
5. heated floors!
6. the Bath Houses
7. it took 10 years to complete the wall (it runs from one side of Scotland to the other)
8. Vindolanda had the most recovered artifacts: from sewing needles, to combs, jewelry, an entire pit full of shoes and the remains of a Roman soldier’s helmet
9. Vindolanda has 9 layers of buildings
10. 10. Hexham still has the original gate to the city

In addition, each fort had a museum where you could view specific artifacts from each site. From statues to fine pieces of art (i.e. a painted piece of glass from an old goblet). It was a neat day imagining what it was like to live during this time.