Aachen

10/7

As much as I wish I could roll over, I’ve an extended bike ride planned with my boyfriend, up and over yesterday’s hill...and some.  We open Ed’s door and emerge from our cozy cocoon into cold air, low clouds in the valley, a threatening sky and quiet mist on the water.  But, as usual, we’re so pleased to have ventured out because the ride was magic and thoroughly different from yesterday with all the moody fog and lonely fields always made so pretty with the odd defiant blood red poppy squeezed in amongst the dense wheat crops.

We scrape Kel from her warm bed to farewell her dear little Belgian friend, Femke and then settle to our familiar satisfying breakfast and school routine. 

Kelly and Femke

Jeff and I often blog and savour a second coffee whilst school is in but this morning we’ve plans for our last Luxembourg attraction further north.

A pretty drive through forested undulations and farmed plateaus preludes our arrival at Clervaux for the Intangible UNESCO Family of Man black & white photograph exhibition which is housed in a white turreted castle on the hillside beneath threatening black skies.

Grey now

5 min later

Sherman tank

We are VERY disappointed to find the building closed for renovations until mid next year.  We are content to simply view the impressive street facade of the St Maurice monastery up the road where Gregorian monks chant twice daily.  We’ve missed the morning mass and the next one is at 1800 (outside, we do our own chanting and imagine the life of a monk!).

Before leaving the town, we withdraw money and, feeling very European, buy fresh bread for lunch. Set for a 2 hour cruise to Aachen over the border, we recollect the pleasures of Luxembourg - such a pretty, uncluttered, cheap and inviting place for us. Jeff and I talk about a future cycling tour, imagining the equipment we’d need (credit card in pocket; iPhone TomTom navigation on the handle bars; 2 x kindles; ipad; camera in a waterproof pouch next to the iPhone; saddle bags with small tent; trangia and just the day’s breakfast & dinner with plans for eating our main meal at midday.  We’d charge our appliances whilst feasting.  We even talked about quick dry socks and undies to complete the set of quick dry other clothing we’ve accumulated……..ahhh!  Then Wil pipes in, ‘that sounds great and what tent would we need’!?!)

Without any ceremony, we cross, the Luxembourg-Germany border.  Seems strange and I’m disappointed to not accumulating a whole pile of stamps in the passport.  It’s only minutes from our communal park.  Our childish humour is tickled by the German ‘ausfahrt’ or exit signs again along the highways. 

After a feast of gorgeous bread, ham, cheese and salads, we mount the iPhone and ride, the long way, to the zentrum, centre of Charlemagne’s Carolingian Empire in the 800’s.

I still can’t get over the incredible patience & kind consideration of motorists towards cyclists in Europe, especially all their thoughtful anticipation of Kel’s less predictable riding.  I also continually revel in the pleasure of meandering through suburbs, smelling pockets of home-cooking & piquant herb gardens, looking into people’s living rooms and yards whilst making all sorts of profound stories about what makes them German and drawing all sorts of convoluted conclusions about everything.

We all imagine Uncle Benno hanging out here doing horsey things.  Where would he eat, play, dance, shop?

The spires of Charlemagne’s cathedral mark our destination where, after a bumpy stretch along the altstadt’s cobbled narrowed streets, things open into a large markt where Karl the Great (Charlemagne) stands in front of the enormous Rathaus, his sceptre adorned with an empty beer bottle. 

Charlemagne

Just past enormous horse statues, we tie up the bikes and trickle around the beautiful old town following a trail of quirky bronze fountains (the puppet fountain whose moving figures depict aspect’s of Aachen life &  the Circle of Money whose surrounding figures symbolise different things like Greed) and Charlemagne’s  golden imperial seal on the pavements. 

Circle of Money

puppets!

Near the information centre is the Elisa Fountain where warm sulphurous spring waters flow into big black granite basins.  Aachen’s spa culture essentially put it on the map for the Holy Roman Emperors & is one of the reasons why Charles 1 made this the town where he held court. 

Elise Fountain (H2S pong)

Printen 

Wil is determined to sample the town’s specialty, printen,a soft gingerbread biscuit,often in the shape of things horsey but we string him out for tomorrow and instead choose an odd dinner of ice-cream sundays.

Dinner

Kel is now quite relaxed on the bike as we make our way home in peak hour traffic along main roads..uphill. Go Kib!  

11/7

Jeff & I do a short run along the ‘wegs’ near the campground this time deeply inhaling the smells of horse manure (Aachen a major horsey town, the town of uncle Benno, hosts the annual CHIO world equestrian festival).  We whizz through school, all keen to get back into the atmospheric town and learn more about the impressive Charlemagne and see the Dom.

This morning the sun is shining on the Klenkes monument making it a whole lot more appealing. Apparently it symbolizes the Aachen greeting of raising the small finger of one hand.

After a few errands, we lose ourselves in the utterly spectacular Cathedral, Germany’s first building to be included on the UNESCO list.  It’s exterior is so complex that the wee bronze model sitting at the entrance portal, originally created to give the blind a feeling for this important site, helps one orient around it’s beautiful proportions.  The inside is quite remarkable with an imposing central octagon of blue, white & red marble worn into smooth depressions in places where it has been rubbed over the centuries. 

The Dom

Mosaic!

Every other remaining space including the ceilings, is adorned with endless exquisite glittering mosaics in a variety of beautiful patterns like leaves and flowers. Finally, right in the middle beneath the gorgeous dome, is an ancient golden chandelier.

Charlemagne's Chandelier

Church floor??

We all slump, dumbstruck, into pulpits to drink in the extraordinary beauty.

As is often typical for Europe, a brief downpour of torrential rain and blasting winds followed, driving us into a 3 story book store before it was fine enough for our journey home.

12/7

10BX & brisk walk in the park, then maths tests before we say ‘Goodbye’ to marvelous Aachen.  Kel has crowned herself “The Maths Cookie” with a cone fashioned from a paper circular coffee doylie.  

En route across the country, 

German Industry

Back across the Rhine

Salt?

Wil reads up on & then leads vigorous discussions about Charlemagne and Martin Luther.  Two incredible men. Yes, Charlemagne conquered in bloody battles forming his vast empire but he was a greatly liked leader who walked the walk and talked the talk of his people. He did all sorts of amazing things to create ‘One Europe’ (the Carolingian Empire) like establishing rules of commerce, encouraging one language, spreading knowledge and education about a fair Christianity, embracing the arts and inviting scholars of learning to record their learnings in ‘illuminated manuscripts.’  He saved Pope Leo from a rebellion and was crowned Holy Roman Empire in return.  Somehow also managed to have 18 kids with 10 wives - they wouldn’t let Henry do that 600 years later.

The kids read Harry Potter (again) and have some IT time and the wonderful undulating countryside dotted with quaint ‘dorfs’ entertain the olds.  A few breaks & a grocery stop later, we’ve crossed back over the massive Rhine, zoomed past the twin spires of Germany’s largest Dom in Koln,taken MORE photos of golden wheat fields & beautiful clouds to finally arrive in Eisenach. 

We ease Eddie into a small hill top park over looking tomorrow’s adventure - The Wartburg castle, the birth place of JS BACH and the hideout of the excommunicated Martin Luther.

Jeff and Kel, Orval sunset

Wartberg Castle

A warm bowl of green soup with black bread and a short bit of Happy Feet 2 gets everyone ready for bed. Wil’s lids get heavier as he gazes out his bedside window which frames the lit up imposing castle twinkling in the distance.