2000 Year Old Underwear

The next stop in our non-stop action tour of Brussels, Luxembourg, and Cologne brought us to the little town of Aachen.

Aachen is situated right on the border of Germany, The Netherlands, and Belgium. The town is famous for its thermal hot springs – in fact some of the city fountains are plumbed with hot water from these springs. Aachen is also known for being the winter capital and court of Charlemagne. Charlemagne moved his capital there for his health in the waning years of his reign – everyone loves a hot tub. Even this dude.

After the drive up to Aachen from Cologne – where we had yet more autobahn fun (seriously Germans drive FAST) – we checked into our Novotel hotel in the center of the city and headed out for a bit of urban exploration.

But before we could actually accomplish that – I demanded that we find some lunch. I had a hankering for more döner – that hankering really never goes away – and after reviewing tripadvisor, yelp, foursquare, and about 70 other online sites – we set out for Berlin Döner and Pizza across town. Again, I was not disappointed with the döner in Germany. It’s just so good! This version was a little more bready than most that I have had – but it was still tasty. I also managed to order completely in German – which was a big deal for me. I may have sounded like a 2 year old – but I sounded like a German 2 year old, dammit.

After lunch – we made our way over to the Aachen Cathedral. The cathedral is ancient – construction on the building began in 796. For almost 600 years – this Cathedral was the coronation church of the German kings. It has seen the coronation of 30 kings and 12 queens. It was the largest dome of its time – and the octagonal shape is very unique. The Aachen Cathedral is also very well known for the pilgrimage that takes place there every 7 years (the next one is in 2014) – during this pilgrimage the Cathedral really shows off its stuff. The Cathedral’s relics are the bones of Charlemagne himself (He was a great defender of the faith – whatever that means), the loin cloth of Jesus, and belt that Jesus wore. We visited the treasury of the Cathedral and got to see some of these things first hand – it was pretty neat. Although, I will say I’m not one to get excited over some 2000 year old underwear.

After the Cathedral and treasury – we walked through the picturesque town square to the Rathaus, or town hall. This building was fairly amazing – beautifully rebuilt after the war – it still functions as the meeting place for the town council. The main chamber of the building features frescoes that were saved from the bombing that feature scenes from Charlemagne’s reign – well worth seeing. In addition to the art and history – the building also is where the Charlemagne Prize is awarded. This prize is awarded yearly to the individual who most promotes European unity. The list of winner is composed of some very well known names – Angela Merkel, Tony Blair, and even a couple of Americans! Good ‘ol Bill Clinton won the award in 2000. Big Macs, interns, and still spare time enough to get Europe all unified – good one on ya, Bill.

Following the Town Hall – we headed for a snack and found the best bakery in existence. Or at least the closest bakery in existence. Anyways – JB and I shared an eclair that changed our lives for the better. It was that good.

Following the life changing pastry – we did a little shopping in the pedestrian district of Aachen. These ped districts are just one more thing I love about Europe. Nearly every town has one – and they make shopping much more enjoyable. No streets to cross with cars zooming about – just meandering roads with small shops and large stores living side by side. It’s just pleasant.

After shopping – it was time for dinner. We again consulted 357 different websites to find out what the traditional food of Aachen was – we settled on the Aachener Brauhaus. It was a good choice – hearty German food served with fresh beer (more Kölsh), in an old brauhaus. JB got the pork knuckle this time and I got a sausage platter. They were both delicious – although we both agreed that the pork knuckle did not live up to the pork knuckle at Mussel’s in Luxembourg. Oh – and JB wore a hat. Fancy.

The next morning we set out to find the Dreiländereck, or three lands point. This is the point where Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands meet. Neither JB or I had been in three countries at once – so we decided to give it a whirl.

The way there was an interesting journey. Google Maps led is out into the wilderness – we were literally in the middle of the woods on a one lane road at one point. But eventually – after a short jaunt through Holland – we found our way there. The experience was about like you’d think – big marker where the borders meet. Folks (including us) taking pictures at said marker. But it was still neat to see – and say that you’ve been in three countries at once. I can say that now – can you? Another fun fact – in addition to being a three country border – it’s also the highest point in the Netherlands. So – JB and I have officially gotten high in the Netherlands. Zing.

Following this three country adventure we drove the back roads back to Belgium and the amazing city of Brussels! We just hung out here for our last day and enjoyed the sunshine in the Grande Place – just a really beautiful place to sit and enjoy a waffle in the morning.

This brought our European trip to an end for the year – it was sad to get on the plane and head back across the ocean. I know we’ll be back – maybe not to all of the places that we visited this year – but to at least a couple. It was a great, relaxing trip. I wholeheartedly recommend renting a car and driving in these countries. It is a great way to see the country and nothing is more than a couple of hours drive away – it takes much longer on a plane or a train (we’ve traveled Europe both ways) – and you get to do things on your schedule!

Hope you enjoyed the vacation series. Next up? Brisbane, Australia!