Dinner in Germany happened during the first night, actually. Landing in Cologne, I had to take another bus to reach Aachen. I chose Deinbus for this particular trip. I am a Flixbus fanboy but Deinbus is not bad. They also have WiFi and with matching magazine rack to boot. Okay, it wasn’t a rack per se, but you get the idea. The best part? There were just two of us onboard. Hahaha. I wouldn’t be surprised if Deinbus went bankrupt next week. How do they earn money from this kind of scenario?
The Aachen Cathedral is on the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and is just a stone’s throw away from Aachen friend’s abode. Finding their apartment was a funny experience because my brain decided to remember a different house number for fun. Touché, brain. Until now I have no idea whose doorbell it was that I rang on the other side of the street. Sorry. Asian got confused. After welcoming me to their home with chocolates, pancakes, and around half an hour of catching up, we decided to go out.
Meeting friends aside, the only two other objectives I have here in Aachen are the cathedral and a language institute I am considering for this summer. Two months is just not enough to improve one’s German proficiency, you know. I need more! Again, the cathedral was just nearby but before you reach it, you pass by a big square first. Typical Alte Markt, except that this one is huge and a bit more opulent thanks to the Rathaus hogging the spotlight. Now for a bit of history.
Aachen is referred to as Aix-la-Chapelle in French. Its history is closely tied to various monarchies, serving as THE place where German kings back then were crowned. Of course, the most popular one was Charlemagne. The guy is popular and needs no introduction. If you have no clue who he is, then ask Google. His remains are said to be buried under the Aachener Dom. I don’t think you’re allowed to see it, but guy died back in the 800’s, and the church was built before that. How old is it then? 1,200?
I think the Rathaus is more luxurious in comparison but the Dom is not any less grandiose. I think this architectural style is called Baroque. But then again, I have no authority to speak about a topic I barely know. Anyway, the church has a tower, a dome, and a chapel. We entered for free but neither photos nor videos were allowed. If such rule was only applicable that day, I had no idea. It was Easter Sunday, by the way. The interior is smaller than I imagined but the art inside is luxurious as usual. Built by a king, bruh.
Once again, it was a game of staring at the ceiling. There are plenty of Latin inscriptions you can try to decipher. What it accomplished was making me aware that I badly need to review this dead language. Hey, it’s been more than a year since my last Latin class ended. As photography wasn’t allowed, I now have to rely on my power of description which is rather shitty. All I can say is that I admired the mosaic tiles that decorated the ceiling and the walls. And there were stained glass windows adorning the tower, too!
Pimp your church. The Carolingian kings knew how to do it well. It’s impressive how the state has been able to preserve such a historical gem. It’s the square that really amuses me, though. I guess I’ve just found my chill spot of choice if ever I end up coming back here in August. Aachen friend and I then took a stroll around the city center which was small enough to fit in less than two hours of walking in a leisurely place. She showed me the malls, the theater, a three or four-story bookstore. I liked it, overall.
We ended the day at Hans Wurst which is a popular resto serving different types of sausages. Despite such reputation, I still wasn’t able to find whatever local version of Vienna’s Käsekrainer that they have here. It’s basically a sausage with cheese inside. Perhaps it’s unique to Austria? But the Hans Hotdog I had was not bad. Early dinner! It was a bit cold outside so we just opted to sleep early. Besides, we have a full day ahead tomorrow with both Liège and Maastricht in one itinerary.
[AACHEN] Dinner in Deutschland
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