The American mind cannot comprehend. Oldest city I've ever been to is New Orleans. Places like the French Quarter and Marigny are about as old as it gets and you guys have streets 1,000 years older than that. Hell, I'm outside of Pensacola, FL, first European settlement, and we got nothing like this. (No, I'm not counting Native American (North) settlements as they didn't build any structures that could last 1,000 years.) Could I interest you in some wrought iron railings that we copied from New Orleans?

Finished Gaiman's Neverwhere this morning, set in London. There is so much history packed between the lines it's boggling to this American.