We almost missed getting a picture of the sign at the border due to heavy foliage and high speeds, but we got it! Our “excellent adventure” has now brought us to Germany. Amazingly enough, all of the borders within the EU are like this one, with just one small sign stating which country you are now in. That’s it! The destination for tonight was the city of Aachen. This an ancient city with Roman and pre-Roman heritage but most notable for being the site of Emperor Charlemagne’s cathedral and final resting place.
After checking into the Novotel here in Aachen in late afternoon we legged it over about 5 blocks to the St. Mary’s Cathedral. We were too late in the day to catch a tour or view some of the artifacts but we hope to see them in the morning before leaving. We did, however, get to see the massive cathedral. The interior is smaller than that of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Reims but it is so much more ornate! The ceilings are adorned with mosaics and gilding that is hard to describe. The deepest part of the altar has stained glass all around and is the final resting place for the remains of Charlemagne. We hope the pictures do it any kind of justice!
Just like last night we found a restaurant just outside the cathedral itself to enjoy dinner and the view. We ended up sharing a table with a family from Hamburg, Germany. The father, Wolfgang, is a history teacher in Hamburg and his wife and son were very interested in history as well. We had a wonderful hour-long conversation over dinner about travel, food, sites, and even Donald and Hillary! It was great to talk so comfortably with people from so far away that we had so much in common with. We walked away from this conversation feeling refreshed and so thankful for the things we all, as people, have in common.
Bill and Jeff's Historical Travel Blog 