Aachen

What to do in the Freizeit? Travel. :-)

Right outside the Aachen Hauptbahnhof (Hbf) was this herd of Pferde. Five of them and five of us. It took the girls some time to get on, but we made. It really reminded me of how long it has been since I have ridden on a horse.

I thought this building was strange. I have seen all sorts of red brick buildings, but the yellow was an interesting highlight. Seemed to be just shops and offices, Deutsche Post was inside one section.

The Theatre, we only happened by it because there was a statue in front of it that caught my eye and I wandered off to see what it was. And then I failed to take a picture of the statue.

There was this bench/sundeck, so naturally I laid down.

And here we all are with the nice lady waiting for us to finish our timer controlled picture. Hahaha....

Looking from the old bath building to the Dom and Rathaus. Lovely green area in the city center.

I noticed as I was staring up at the figurines, that there seemed to be some missing. Or maybe there are just places for the future? But after hundreds of years what would you add?

Hehehe... Not sure what or why.

Model of the Cathedral. We took a tour with a guide in German, as the English tour started a little bit before we arrived and we did not want to wait half-an-hour or more. I was actually amazed at how much I really did understand. :-)
 According to the guide, when Karl der Große (a.k.a. Charlemagne for the English speakers) built the Dom around 800 A.D. it consisted of just the central octagon.

 The inside was originally white when it was built, but at some point (I forget the date) it was renovated and covered with these lovely mosaics. There was a man working on restoring a small section.

This is around the edge of the octagon. 

I do not know where this leads, one of the small alcoves branching off the center as seen in the model, but it looked neat. You can also see some of the marble that was everywhere. 

 This mosaic is on the top of the ceiling in the center.

 This is the ceremonial or church (not for governing) throne on the second level. Not at all fancy, it is a relic made from sections of the temple from Jerusalem. One side had some square scratch marks that the guide said was likely made by Romans soldiers as a game board. 

 The reliquary that holds some of the bones of Karl der Große, hands being located at other places, and one female rib of unidentified origin. The lady on the left was our guide. I believe she said that Karl der Große was buried in the church, and then hundreds of years later Barbarossa exhumed the tomb and placed the bones in the reliquary.
 This cathedral was the crowning places for kings and queens for hundreds of years.

 I thought these hinges were delightful. They give the door much more character than modern hinges.

Believe it or not, this is the back side of the Rathaus. The appearance is like an old keep. 

 I believe it was this tower (on the right side in the previous picture) that was a remnant of Karl der Großes castle. I wanted to climb it. It looks possible. But, as I have not climbed in a long time, I would definitely want some safety gear.

The front side was boring. The red shutters on top piqued my interest, but we did not end up going inside. 

 Blumen.

 As we passed this shop I had to do a double-take. Schwarzgelb are the correct colors, but that name and emblem are just wrong. 

 And then the most exciting part of the trip for the girls, the Lindt factory. You could smell it as we approached, and it was delicious.

The factory outlet store, where Lindt chocolate cost as little as normal off-brand chocolate, though it still tastes better. I won't tell you how fast I have gone through three-quarters of a kilo.

Next stop? Schwebebahn in Wuppertal or London!

Nic