- Always take every important document with you to every government authority appointment, you never know what they may need and this will save you time. Some authorities have walk in times, but always go for an appointment if you can do it.
- Don't expect family and friends back home to understand how difficult, complicated, and sometime lonely an expat lifestyle can be. You will lose touch with many people, but you will also know who your true friends are. That being said, it can also be exciting, rewarding, frustrating, and eye-opening.
- Become a 'yes' person, accept as many social offers as you can, because this is the best way to make new friends.
- Follow the crowd... street food can be good, especially if there's a bunch of locals enjoying the food.
- Have no fear about asking questions. There will always be someone willing to help or explain local customs. You also will probably get some interesting stories along the way.
- Don't bring massive suitcases with you. You will hate lugging them around airports and train stations. Remember that you can always buy what you need.
- Along those lines, always pack a change of clothes in your carry-on. Luggage frequently gets delayed, and you will be grateful after a long-haul flight to have a change of clothes. The same rule goes for any power cord. If you have a device (like a computer), that cannot last for up to 4 days without being charged, carry the power cord.
- Beer is cheaper than water. Literally (especially in Germany).
- Don't be afraid to travel alone. I've been all over, and its less stressful sometimes to not be traveling with others.
- Bring fabric bags to the grocery store or supermarket to avoid being charged for plastic bags.
- Most things are closed on Sundays, this includes grocery stores.
- Be prepared for a slower paced life. If something doesn't get done today, it will get done the next day, or the day after that. Stressing about it will not get it done faster.
- Make sure you make an effort to see local sites of interest, especially the UNESCO sites.
- Get out of your flat and interact with the locals and practice your language skills. It can be as simple as watching local TV or buying bread in a bakery. You can also try to eliminate all English from your life to try to learn the local language.
- Learn to use public transport systems whether it be a bus or a train. Trains are a fabulous way to go for weekend trips.
- Make sure you have a bank account which does not charge extra for withdrawals from ATMs.
- In most countries, credit and debit cards are not a method of payment. Debit cards usually have to be Maestro and have a local account, and most banks charge monthly fees. Assume that you have to pay for everything is cash, in bills smaller than 100 Euro, and things will be fine.
- On more practical note, things that I would recommend bringing/ keeping in mind for travels:
- Bring your owe ibuprofen, it's more expensive abroad and it's harder to get. Ditto goes for vitamins and any prescriptions you may need. Check with the particular country's laws before bringing in anything though.
- Stick deoderant, hard to find, usually they only have the spray on variety in your local market.
- If you like top sheets, bring one, they are almost impossible to find (I'm still looking).
- Bring cobblestone worthy walking shoes (and I'm not talking tennis shoes). The make cute shoes here, but they do not have good, comfy support in them.
- Learn to hang dry your clothing, dryers are a creature comfort that are not easily found and they will not hold the same capacity as yours in the US.
- If you don't know the language, at least learn the basic pleasantries like hello, good bye, please and thank you.
- Some countries are more formal. Learn before you go some of the local customs etc.
- Try to plan weekend trips in advance, this will save you lots of money. Also, learn when the holidays are, because there are many more in Europe than in the US, and things will be closed during them.
- Expect to get lost. Even with the best map, I have yet to find a European city built in a grid layout. This means maps can get confusing, and objects may be closer than they appear on it.
- Own an umbrella, expect it to rain, and when it doesn't, be pleasantly surprised.
- Use extreme caution when carrying your passport, it is your lifeline. I recommend scanning a copy and keeping it in a secure e-mail account. Keep a printed copy with a close relative, and a second one in your flat, just in case. It will make life a lot easier if something is lost.
- Get good insurance. Sometimes the 'good' travel insurance is just plain horrid.
- Pocket dictionaries are the best thing invented, invest in one and use it when necessary.
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Tips/ Tricks/ Hints for European living
So, I figured I would write a brief advice blog for those looking to live and work in Europe. This does not include any legal advice for what documents are needed etc. This is just a small bit that I've garnered from experience and reading from others.
Weekend randomness
This weekend I stayed in Bonn, which is a shock because I've been traveling the past 2 weekends, and will be traveling the next 2 weekends. This weekend was full of fun on Saturday, I went on a bit of a shopping escapade. One of my dislikes of international clothing companies is that an item of clothing will have the same numerical number on the tag, but will be in Euros instead of USD, which means it will 30% more expensive- darnit. German Chancellor Merkel was also in Bonn to give a campaign speech, so I headed over there to try to hear what she was saying (from what I could interpret). Apparently the overall message was that she was trying to re-assure her current voters and she took a few potshots at the other political parties.
Other delightful fun was again getting involved in the local Meetup group, which was having an all girls lunch (Mittagessen) at Casa del Gatto. Luckily we were put in a room inside as it started to rain, unfortunantly the room had a curved ceiling so there was a cacophony of noise with 20+ of us in there. I had a caprese salad, nothing spectacular, but I did have food envy. Afterwards we checked out a wine festival that was happening in the center of the city in Muensterplatz. I had a nice white wine, even though it was a bit sweet. It was an award winner though. That lasted for about 15 minutes before everyone had to run for cover as it started to rain again. Oh well, but at least it was a fun weekend in town. Fall weather has officially arrived.
Other delightful fun was again getting involved in the local Meetup group, which was having an all girls lunch (Mittagessen) at Casa del Gatto. Luckily we were put in a room inside as it started to rain, unfortunantly the room had a curved ceiling so there was a cacophony of noise with 20+ of us in there. I had a caprese salad, nothing spectacular, but I did have food envy. Afterwards we checked out a wine festival that was happening in the center of the city in Muensterplatz. I had a nice white wine, even though it was a bit sweet. It was an award winner though. That lasted for about 15 minutes before everyone had to run for cover as it started to rain again. Oh well, but at least it was a fun weekend in town. Fall weather has officially arrived.
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| Wine festival before the rain |
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| Chancellor Merkel |
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Arnhem part 1
So this past Saturday I took a field trip to Arnhem, which is in the eastern edge of the Netherlands. It's also an area where part of my father's family is from. Many people haven't heard of Arnhem, in fact many of my Deutsch colleagues questioned why I would go there. Arnhem however played a key role in WWII. It was a true battle area. The land here is not the smooth flat countryside that the thought of the Netherlands typically conjures up, it has enough hills to make my body hurt thinking about riding a bike around the city (I'll admit though, I'm a bit out of shape). A lot of the newer built houses have a slopped yard going up to the homes, and that yard is a meticulously decorated garden. Gardens were prevalent everywhere the bus took me past. My original intention was to visit two museums while there, but instead, I only had time for the Nederlands Openluchtmuseum, which is a museum about old Dutch life. This past century has brought a rapid change in life to those in Arnhem, as before then, the quiet farm life was common.
Because of the rich and important history of Arnhem, I figure I will start with that before going into the museum. Arnhem is considered the little Hague after its original picturesque resort town field. The styling of the city is supposed to be reminiscent of the Hague, and Arnhem is one of the largest cities in the Netherlands. Originally, the city was not built on the banks of the Rhine, only after the Rhine was diverted, did they build on its banks. During WWII the dubious Battle of Arnhem occurred during September 1944. This battle was so important that a movie was made about it in 1977 called 'A Bridge too Far.' The bridge itself was originally destroyed in 1940 by the Dutch Army, rebuilt by the Germans, and destroyed by the Americans after the battle in 1944. This main bridge in Arnhem was a major supply route for the Germans, and Allied forces, particularly the British Airborne Division and the Polish Parachute Brigade were tasked with securing the bridge to prevent the Germans from using it. They were able to hold the bridge for 4 days before all the ammunition ran out and they were captured by the Germans, and a full withdrawal was made within a few days after that. Because of resistance on the rail lines as well, the Germans retaliated against the citizens in the area and this lead to the 'Hunger Winter' when citizens were subjected to extreme hunger and cold, worse than any other part of the war. A second major battle occurred there in April 1945 when the British and Canadians liberated the city. During the end of WWII, one of the largest airborne landings occurred during Operation Market Garden, and the end of liberation occurred here too in the Rhineland Offensive (www.liberationroute.com). The citizens and military forces played war roulette. Tying in the Openluchtmuseum (translated to Open Air Museum), opened to the public in 1918, many residents of Arnhem fled to the museum during the Battle of Arnhem, when the city was evacuated, and it was so crowded with refugees, that they had to turn people away.
This museum has just short of 100 buildings on its grounds. It is spread out over such a large area, that there is a historic tram that stops in 6 different places. I think I saw at least 90% of the museum, but I'm sure that I missed the more modern section. 6 hours in this city was insufficient to even cover the entire museum, let alone anywhere else. The first stop the train stopped at a station called the Spaarstation Dingenliefde. The focus of the buildings nearby is a neat collection of items focused on the collection, saving and conservation of Dutch life. First view off the platform though is a bunch of gnomes (~30), enough to give anyone a bit of a heart attack. Next to the gnomes is a Baroque style garden that has symmetry in the hedged bushes. After that is a building that is a collector's paradise, literally built to house the passion for collecting several individuals have. There are collections of wrapping paper, piggy banks of varying sorts, pipes, even airline seats. Strolling down the dirt and cobblestone lane, was an old barn used for maple syrup production, with the original equipment inside. There was even a functioning microbrewery within this museum! The museum contained buildings from more wealthy farmers and the average farmer in various styles, time frames, and regions of the Netherlands. Many farmers in the Netherlands also had side trades such as woodworking or making woven good because farming didn't bring in sufficient funds for survival. There were gardens of differing sizes and types, among them a herb garden, a flower garden, fruit garden, and a labyrinth. There was a dairy barn for producing cheese, with goats outside. Lunch consisted of poffertjes, which is a small fluffy pancake (about the size of a sand dollar) with powdered sugar and real butter. There was a train station for postal service on display as well as old tram cars. Several of the professions such as wood working had people doing demonstrations. Lots to see, lots to do. Because I didn't have enough time in this little big city, I'll be going back in September.
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| Saved Netherland gift wrapping paper |
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| Old pipe collection |
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| More piggy banks than one has money to put in them |
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| Close up of some of the piggy banks |
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| Maple Syrup production barn |
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| Microbrewery |
Because of the rich and important history of Arnhem, I figure I will start with that before going into the museum. Arnhem is considered the little Hague after its original picturesque resort town field. The styling of the city is supposed to be reminiscent of the Hague, and Arnhem is one of the largest cities in the Netherlands. Originally, the city was not built on the banks of the Rhine, only after the Rhine was diverted, did they build on its banks. During WWII the dubious Battle of Arnhem occurred during September 1944. This battle was so important that a movie was made about it in 1977 called 'A Bridge too Far.' The bridge itself was originally destroyed in 1940 by the Dutch Army, rebuilt by the Germans, and destroyed by the Americans after the battle in 1944. This main bridge in Arnhem was a major supply route for the Germans, and Allied forces, particularly the British Airborne Division and the Polish Parachute Brigade were tasked with securing the bridge to prevent the Germans from using it. They were able to hold the bridge for 4 days before all the ammunition ran out and they were captured by the Germans, and a full withdrawal was made within a few days after that. Because of resistance on the rail lines as well, the Germans retaliated against the citizens in the area and this lead to the 'Hunger Winter' when citizens were subjected to extreme hunger and cold, worse than any other part of the war. A second major battle occurred there in April 1945 when the British and Canadians liberated the city. During the end of WWII, one of the largest airborne landings occurred during Operation Market Garden, and the end of liberation occurred here too in the Rhineland Offensive (www.liberationroute.com). The citizens and military forces played war roulette. Tying in the Openluchtmuseum (translated to Open Air Museum), opened to the public in 1918, many residents of Arnhem fled to the museum during the Battle of Arnhem, when the city was evacuated, and it was so crowded with refugees, that they had to turn people away.
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| looms |
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| fabric bleaching |
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| fabric bleaching |
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| looms |
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| Poffertjes + real butter= yummy |
This museum has just short of 100 buildings on its grounds. It is spread out over such a large area, that there is a historic tram that stops in 6 different places. I think I saw at least 90% of the museum, but I'm sure that I missed the more modern section. 6 hours in this city was insufficient to even cover the entire museum, let alone anywhere else. The first stop the train stopped at a station called the Spaarstation Dingenliefde. The focus of the buildings nearby is a neat collection of items focused on the collection, saving and conservation of Dutch life. First view off the platform though is a bunch of gnomes (~30), enough to give anyone a bit of a heart attack. Next to the gnomes is a Baroque style garden that has symmetry in the hedged bushes. After that is a building that is a collector's paradise, literally built to house the passion for collecting several individuals have. There are collections of wrapping paper, piggy banks of varying sorts, pipes, even airline seats. Strolling down the dirt and cobblestone lane, was an old barn used for maple syrup production, with the original equipment inside. There was even a functioning microbrewery within this museum! The museum contained buildings from more wealthy farmers and the average farmer in various styles, time frames, and regions of the Netherlands. Many farmers in the Netherlands also had side trades such as woodworking or making woven good because farming didn't bring in sufficient funds for survival. There were gardens of differing sizes and types, among them a herb garden, a flower garden, fruit garden, and a labyrinth. There was a dairy barn for producing cheese, with goats outside. Lunch consisted of poffertjes, which is a small fluffy pancake (about the size of a sand dollar) with powdered sugar and real butter. There was a train station for postal service on display as well as old tram cars. Several of the professions such as wood working had people doing demonstrations. Lots to see, lots to do. Because I didn't have enough time in this little big city, I'll be going back in September.
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| wood working barn |
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| recreated train station for postal mail |
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| old tram |
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| one of the gardens |
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| part of the gardens with an old well |
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| Preserving station |
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| Upper class barn w/ attached house: sitting room |
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| lower class cabin, no running water, but the 'windows' to the left are beds in the kitchen |
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| lower class cabin |
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| Day laborer cabin with a peat roof |
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| inside the day laborer's cabin |
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| One of the many vegetable gardens |
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| Winter school |
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| Alleyway imported from Amsterdam, complete with the original graffiti |
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| The many bikes of Arnhem |
Wednesday, August 14, 2013
Aachen
So.... 25 posts since I've been here, and as of today, I have been here for 6 months to the day, which means that I'm one post shy of having an average of a post a week.... pretty darn good.... now onto the good stuff:
First, I want to hear everyone try to say the name of this city properly: Aachen (ˈä-kən, -ḵən). Good luck with that one. So Saturday I took a trip to the aforementioned city and had an absolutely wonderful time. This city is in Germany, on the edge of the border with Belgium and the Netherlands. It's rumored to have been Charlemagne's favorite city, and it's seen the coronation of many German emperors. This former spa town's cathedral and fountains were incredible. I've been somewhat cathedraled out as of late, but Aachen's takes the cake, in terms of mosaics in it.
Taking a step back though, on the way there I met some interesting people, one being a student from Mexico studying chemistry in Bonn, in the same building as I'm in, and who was going to the same place as I was. Another was a local Bonner who does marketing for several airlines who suggested I go to Portugal right now because the flights are cheap. My train ride back was just as 'interesting.' A very drunk older German couple kept trying to engage me in conversation, but were not taking my reading a book as a hint. They had balloons all around them and blew up another one and tried to give it to me....Crazy! On the 2nd train, a lawyer was talking about how she had to go to Munich to be interviewed as a potential candidate to get an apartment....with 20 other applicants. Apparently rent is much higher there than here, and much more competitive....Enough with the train stories, of which I usually have plenty, but one more word about travel, if you can't lift your suitcase, don't pack it, and please, don't ask me to help you lift it..... thanks!
I got into Aachen around 8:30am and there was no one awake yet. The area immediately around the train station could be any city, however as I worked my way into the center of town, the charm became apparent. Right next to the cathedral the market was beginning to be set up. I had the opportunity to take pictures all around town, before anything opened up, and without anyone else stepping into my viewfinder. As a result, I got some cool pictures of the fountains, and several of the cathedral (although it's hard to get a good full picture of it in this city). The pictures of one fountain became even more interesting later.... I strolled around the center, checking out the shops that I wanted to go into, and at 10, things finally opened up. I booked a city tour, and to fill the hour before it, I went shopping. I've decided it's dangerous to let me into specialty paper stores which have cute and smart postcards. I also went to the cathedral treasury. I made the mistake of getting the audio tour, but it wasn't worth it. There were ~5 small rooms with antiquities. The best thing I saw was a series of locks. Every 7 years, there's a pilgrimage, and with that pilgrimage, there's a new lock made and designed. Whether this is to lock people out, I'm not sure. The church is a major cultural draw for many people around the world.
Once on the tour I saw the Elisenbrunnen, which is a neo-classic hall surrounding a fountain, rebuilt after the war. The fountain is one of the few left with the natural hot springs underneath the city feeding it. There is also a water display behind the building, and it got blitzed by a marketing campaign of orange duckies. These duckies infiltrated all of the fountains in the city for quite a substantial time, until all the little kids (oh okay, me too), claimed them all.
We also saw a display of excavated earth exhibiting the many layers of time (neolithic, Roman, Medieval etc), we then moved to a fountain called Bahkauv. Apparently this creature was 'feared' by the drunk at night, when he would attack. The story goes that as the drunkards tried to walk home, this creature would sit on their shoulders getting heavier and heavier until the victim dropped and the creature got it. This is story that many drunk men told their wives about why they were so late getting home, that the Bahkauv was sitting on their shoulders making it so difficult. Next stop, past the Printen shops, and into a triangular 'square' which housed many older buildings.
The tour went past the cathedral, and told a story of how the cathedral was built. It was originally commissioned by Charlemagne and was quickly built. The story goes that as they were building the cathedral, they ran out of money and so they struck a contract with a wealthy man who gave them the money to finish it. Originally there were no stipulations to it, but the builders were suspicious of this, so they asked the man what he wanted. He stated that he wanted the first soul that walked into the church after it is was consecrated. The story got around and when it was time for the consecration, no one wanted to be the first one to go in, knowing that that person's soul would be taken by the devil. The solution was to stick a wolf in as the devil never said what kind of soul he wanted. The devil jumped on the wolf, sucking its soul out and then realized it wasn't human so enraged he left the church. On the way out, his hand got stuck in the lion's mouth on the door, and it was said that he left a finger in there that you can still feel. To be sure, on the right door, in the lion's mouth, there is a metal object in there, that is not on the left side, and the parents were telling their kids this story as they had their hands in there and then would go 'boo' to them and the kids jumped sky high. Hilarious! This was the end of my tour, left off at a great point.
Many buildings didn't survive WWII because Aachen was a key city, but a few were still standing. You also won't find any traditional wood faced houses here from the Middle Ages, because a fire swept through the city centuries back and it became law that the homes couldn't be built with wood faces anymore, only stone. The city also didn't need its walls, so many home were rebuilt with stones from the surrounding fortress. We walked past the Couven Museum, which was also rebuilt after the war, and wound around to the Rathaus (City Hall), where Charlemagne was reported to formerly have his mansion at. Passing by the Couven Museum are several fountains. The fountains in the city each have their own story, however, as this was a former spa city, supplied by the hot springs, the fountains are representative of times past. The water from the fountains (the original sourced ones), also have a high content of sulfur, so many people used to have G.I. symptoms from drinking too much of it. What of course used to be the prescribed cure for these ails? Chocolate of course! You could only get it by prescription, so the original owners of the building that the Couven Museum is in made their fortunes as a pharmacy. One of the other things that the city is known for is Printen, a gingerbread like treat that can only be made and named Printen if from Aachen. A description of it can be found here: http://bierandbiofuels.blogspot.de/2013/05/printen.html .
I proceeded to have lunch at a restaurant called 'The Living Room' and had ratatouille. Cute place, but the service was not so great. I walked around a bit until I got to the Couven Museum. This museum was re-built after WWII, and displays the living arrangements of 18th and 19th century, with well preserved furniture and Italian stucco. It blends Rococo and Aachen-Liege design. It also carries a replica of the Adler Apotheke. My favorite room is one where there are differently painted tiles across the entire room. On the walls going up the staircase to the upstairs rooms, were photos of the original museum, WWII destruction of it, and the view of the reconstructed one.
Next up was a visit to the cathedral. Stepping inside the cathedral led me to an awestruck moment. The interior of the church is octagonal, suspended from the ceiling is the Barbarossa chandelier, the ceiling is coated in magnificent mosaic tiles, and each section has a different design. After walking through the bottom section, I signed up for a tour, which would allow me access to the vault where Charlemagne's remains are and to the throne of Charlemagne where 30 German kings and 12 queens were coronated. The throne was nothing fancy to look at, but getting to see the other areas and views within the church was well worth it..... Of course I missed the English tour, so I ended up on the German tour, catching bits and pieces here and there. Words can't really describe this cathedral, you just have to visit it yourself.
After the cathedral, I walked around a bit, went to a bookstore to get some new releases in English, and ended up having dinner at a restaurant called Common Sense, which had vegetarian, vegan, and fish dishes. I had the Aubergine gefüllt mit Kichererbsen & Spinat an Tomaten-Sauce mit Käse überbacken dish with sweet potato fries. What in the world is that? Eggplant stuffed with chickpeas and spinach in tomato sauce topped with cheese. It was ok, the chickpeas didn't add much to it in my opinion, but paired with a nice wine, it was the perfect end of my day before heading back.
One last thing about Aachen, as I mentioned before, there are a bunch of fountains, so lets recap which ones I saw, and if I know any additional story that I hadn't mentioned yet, I will now. I know I didn't see them all, but I did see quite a few. Several stories come from Sabine Rother documented at http://www.aachen.de/en/ts/PDFs/Fountains.pdf
I saw Huehnerdieb, which is across from the Couven Museum. It's about a chicken thief who was trying to steal chickens and also caught a rooster. The rooster made a ruckus and so the thief was caught, and thus a fountain was also made.
Next up was Karlsbrunnen. This fountain is in front of the rathouse, and is supposed to be an image of Charlemagne, made 200 years after his death. Apparently there's a university tradition, when you graduate with a masters or PhD, the student would climb the statue and pose hilariously, so the one in the square is now a replica.
Kreislauf des Geldes, is one of the main fountains that was attacked by duckies. The story behind this one is that it represents the vicious capitalistic society, where you have the beggar begging for money, the father giving his daughter money and it's represented with her dipping her hand near the water, the water representing the money system. Next is the politician or banker who is taking a bribe from a man, the man getting money from his wife, and around it goes around in this swirling pool of water.
I saw Bahkauv, who's story is described earlier. 'This monument was designed in 1967 by Kurt-
Next up was the Elisenbrunnen, rebuilt after WWII, and is one of two or three fountains still connected to the underground springs. 'This fountain was built by the architect Karl-Friedrich Schinkel (1882 - 1927) and was named after the Crown Princess Elizabeth, the subsequent wife of King Frederick Wilhelm IV of Prussia. Inside the rotunda (the round building) the Aachen water flows into a couple of basins. This water is hot and has its own strong “fragrance”.' (http://www.aachen.de/en/ts/PDFs/Fountains.pdf)
Fischpueddelchen- '“Fischpüddelchen“ and was designed by Hugo Lederer in 1911. Public outcry about the naked boy at the time reached such a scale that for a while the fountain needed to be guarded by police.' (http://www.aachen.de/en/ts/PDFs/Fountains.pdf)
Another fountain is the Paradiesbrunnen, which resides in the square right next to the cathedral treasury.
My favorite is Puppenbrunnen, which can be manipulated to have many messages about politics and time, and many hidden insidious messages can be read. Particularly of the history of mocking various political regimes such as the Prussian rule. '“Puppenbrunnen“ (Fountain of the Puppets) that was created by Bonifatius Stirnberg in 1975. The fountain is decorated with some wonderful bronze puppets that can be made to move. The figures show the Aachen characters of the canon, market woman, professor, legionary on horseback, harlequin and the fashion model.' (http://www.aachen.de/en/ts/PDFs/Fountains.pdf)
I also saw Spatzenbrunnen (Möschebrunnen). This fountain was sculpted by Bonifatius Stirnberg in 1987. When you press the button, water will flow out of the large ball.
Next up is the Vinzenzbrunnen, which resides right next to the cathedral.
That's all of the fountains I saw on this particular trip (9 of them total), and there are at least another 7 that I know I didn't get a chance to see. Talk about paying beautiful homage to their historic roots.
First, I want to hear everyone try to say the name of this city properly: Aachen (ˈä-kən, -ḵən). Good luck with that one. So Saturday I took a trip to the aforementioned city and had an absolutely wonderful time. This city is in Germany, on the edge of the border with Belgium and the Netherlands. It's rumored to have been Charlemagne's favorite city, and it's seen the coronation of many German emperors. This former spa town's cathedral and fountains were incredible. I've been somewhat cathedraled out as of late, but Aachen's takes the cake, in terms of mosaics in it.
Taking a step back though, on the way there I met some interesting people, one being a student from Mexico studying chemistry in Bonn, in the same building as I'm in, and who was going to the same place as I was. Another was a local Bonner who does marketing for several airlines who suggested I go to Portugal right now because the flights are cheap. My train ride back was just as 'interesting.' A very drunk older German couple kept trying to engage me in conversation, but were not taking my reading a book as a hint. They had balloons all around them and blew up another one and tried to give it to me....Crazy! On the 2nd train, a lawyer was talking about how she had to go to Munich to be interviewed as a potential candidate to get an apartment....with 20 other applicants. Apparently rent is much higher there than here, and much more competitive....Enough with the train stories, of which I usually have plenty, but one more word about travel, if you can't lift your suitcase, don't pack it, and please, don't ask me to help you lift it..... thanks!
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| Me with the Rathaus behind me |
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| Treasury courtyard |
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| Me next to a Printen statue |
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| Elisenbrunnen (view from the inside) |
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| Ducky marketing blitz |
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| Printen shop |
The tour went past the cathedral, and told a story of how the cathedral was built. It was originally commissioned by Charlemagne and was quickly built. The story goes that as they were building the cathedral, they ran out of money and so they struck a contract with a wealthy man who gave them the money to finish it. Originally there were no stipulations to it, but the builders were suspicious of this, so they asked the man what he wanted. He stated that he wanted the first soul that walked into the church after it is was consecrated. The story got around and when it was time for the consecration, no one wanted to be the first one to go in, knowing that that person's soul would be taken by the devil. The solution was to stick a wolf in as the devil never said what kind of soul he wanted. The devil jumped on the wolf, sucking its soul out and then realized it wasn't human so enraged he left the church. On the way out, his hand got stuck in the lion's mouth on the door, and it was said that he left a finger in there that you can still feel. To be sure, on the right door, in the lion's mouth, there is a metal object in there, that is not on the left side, and the parents were telling their kids this story as they had their hands in there and then would go 'boo' to them and the kids jumped sky high. Hilarious! This was the end of my tour, left off at a great point.
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| Left lion |
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| Right lion with a peg inside |
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| old building with stone from fortress walls |
I proceeded to have lunch at a restaurant called 'The Living Room' and had ratatouille. Cute place, but the service was not so great. I walked around a bit until I got to the Couven Museum. This museum was re-built after WWII, and displays the living arrangements of 18th and 19th century, with well preserved furniture and Italian stucco. It blends Rococo and Aachen-Liege design. It also carries a replica of the Adler Apotheke. My favorite room is one where there are differently painted tiles across the entire room. On the walls going up the staircase to the upstairs rooms, were photos of the original museum, WWII destruction of it, and the view of the reconstructed one.
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| Couven Museum Apotheke recreation |
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| Dining room at Couven Museum |
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| Interesting tile room in Couven Museum |
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| Close up of tile |
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| Even more tile |
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| Couven Museum before the war |
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| Post-war destruction of Couven Museum |
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| Modern day Couven Museum |
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| Ceiling at Aachen cathedral |
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| Original frescos |
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| Charlemagne's remains |
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| Detail on the 'casket' |
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| Throne (at least 1000 years old) used for coronations |
After the cathedral, I walked around a bit, went to a bookstore to get some new releases in English, and ended up having dinner at a restaurant called Common Sense, which had vegetarian, vegan, and fish dishes. I had the Aubergine gefüllt mit Kichererbsen & Spinat an Tomaten-Sauce mit Käse überbacken dish with sweet potato fries. What in the world is that? Eggplant stuffed with chickpeas and spinach in tomato sauce topped with cheese. It was ok, the chickpeas didn't add much to it in my opinion, but paired with a nice wine, it was the perfect end of my day before heading back.
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| Aachen Theater |
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| Train station horse statues- The is a major horse race in Aachen every year, one of the biggest in the world |
One last thing about Aachen, as I mentioned before, there are a bunch of fountains, so lets recap which ones I saw, and if I know any additional story that I hadn't mentioned yet, I will now. I know I didn't see them all, but I did see quite a few. Several stories come from Sabine Rother documented at http://www.aachen.de/en/ts/PDFs/Fountains.pdf
I saw Huehnerdieb, which is across from the Couven Museum. It's about a chicken thief who was trying to steal chickens and also caught a rooster. The rooster made a ruckus and so the thief was caught, and thus a fountain was also made.
Kreislauf des Geldes, is one of the main fountains that was attacked by duckies. The story behind this one is that it represents the vicious capitalistic society, where you have the beggar begging for money, the father giving his daughter money and it's represented with her dipping her hand near the water, the water representing the money system. Next is the politician or banker who is taking a bribe from a man, the man getting money from his wife, and around it goes around in this swirling pool of water.
I saw Bahkauv, who's story is described earlier. 'This monument was designed in 1967 by Kurt-
Wolf von Borries from Cologne-Junkersdorf. The Bahkauv (translated as River Calf) is a legendary being that is half panther and half dragon. According to legend, in the old days the Bahkauv came jumping up from the depths of the Aachen fountains late at night and landed on the necks
of the drinkers who were on their way home.' (http://www.aachen.de/en/ts/PDFs/Fountains.pdf)
Next up was the Elisenbrunnen, rebuilt after WWII, and is one of two or three fountains still connected to the underground springs. 'This fountain was built by the architect Karl-Friedrich Schinkel (1882 - 1927) and was named after the Crown Princess Elizabeth, the subsequent wife of King Frederick Wilhelm IV of Prussia. Inside the rotunda (the round building) the Aachen water flows into a couple of basins. This water is hot and has its own strong “fragrance”.' (http://www.aachen.de/en/ts/PDFs/Fountains.pdf)
Fischpueddelchen- '“Fischpüddelchen“ and was designed by Hugo Lederer in 1911. Public outcry about the naked boy at the time reached such a scale that for a while the fountain needed to be guarded by police.' (http://www.aachen.de/en/ts/PDFs/Fountains.pdf)
Another fountain is the Paradiesbrunnen, which resides in the square right next to the cathedral treasury.
I also saw Spatzenbrunnen (Möschebrunnen). This fountain was sculpted by Bonifatius Stirnberg in 1987. When you press the button, water will flow out of the large ball.
Next up is the Vinzenzbrunnen, which resides right next to the cathedral.
That's all of the fountains I saw on this particular trip (9 of them total), and there are at least another 7 that I know I didn't get a chance to see. Talk about paying beautiful homage to their historic roots.
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