Ancient Aachen: A Magical Modern Metropolis

Note: I found this article from summer 2006, which has never been published. So I decided to publish it here.

Each time I visit Aachen, it's in the process of a facelift. The main train station has been under construction for awhile now, and it looks different every time I see it. The scaffolding that I first saw on the cathedral is now on the town hall. And every time I visit, a new store or restaurant is about to open. This time, Aachen has been overtaken by brightly painted horse sculptures promoting the World Equestrian Festival. Yet despite all the newness, Aachen is a city deeply rooted in its past.

Originally established as a spa for Roman legionnaires, Aachen was made the center of the Holy Roman Empire by Charlemagne in 800 AD, and all the Germanic kings were crowned here from that point until 1531. The cathedral is the star attraction with its unusual mix of Baroque, Carolingian, and Gothic architecture. The impressive medieval town hall is built on the site of Charlemagne's palace, which fell into ruin. While there are signs of antiquity all around, Aachen is also lively. It's small enough to see all the main attractions in one day, but it has the culture of a larger city. It's right on the Dutch border (being the westernmost point of Germany) and close to Belgium, making it an ideal location to explore the Benelux. The main train station is a hub for international travel.

Aachen may have waters that run deep, but it is also hip. Home to five universities, Aachen has forty thousand students, most of who congregate on the Pontstrasse. This is where trendy bars mingle with cheap, run-down restaurants. On warm days, students and tourists spill out into the street where there are plenty of outdoor tables to enjoy al fresco dining. The smells of curry mix with doner kebap and pizza. People converse in various languages. There is a casual, laidback atmosphere here, one where the beer flows as freely as the conversation.

Pontstrasse is purely a pedestrian zone, comprised mostly of eating establishments, with the occasional shop. I see a store selling streetwear, a small Mayersche bookstore, and a store selling CDs and old LPs. The only thing that seems out of place is an old church. The string of restaurants, serving every cuisine imaginable, lasts for several blocks, ending at the Ponttor, a 14th century city gate. Underneath are several pedestrian passageways that are decorated with graffiti.

I walk a short distance from Pontstrasse to the heart of Aachen, which is its medieval town square. The cobblestone streets are dotted with modern establishments and signs of American invasion; Starbucks, Subway, McDonald's, and Pizza Hut all have a prominent place in the shadows of the town hall. Twice a week, there's a busy market which sells such wares as produce, flowers, fish, cheese, and clothing. Today, a radio station is doing a live show featuring various kinds of music, from pop to yodeling to some odd chicken song accompanied by bizarre clucking noises. It's strange, yet entertaining. Above the festivities in the markt, a statue of Charlemagne stands atop a fountain (locally known as the "Eäzekomp" - Pea Soup Bowl), presiding over everything.

Lest you think that the entertainment in Aachen is provincial, there is also Kultursommer, a big event in Aachen that draws major names in music, art, dance, and literature. This event lasts from June through September and features over 150 open-air events. The Katschof, once the site of medieval executions, now hosts major concerts during Kultursommer.

There is a thriving theatre scene, with performances in Aachen's Romanesque municipal theatre, as well as smaller independent theatre companies doing shows throughout the year. In the summer, Burg Frankenburg hosts outdoor Shakespeare performances by the small but popular independent company, DAS DA. Large international shows also come through Aachen.

Aachen's shopping district is a hodgepodge of department stores and specialty shops, ranging from high-end to very cheap. All the stores are modern looking - a sea of neon and glass built into older buildings. Beggars hang out on this street, hoping for spare change. A street vendor sells bratwurst while flirting with one of the local girls, the smell of grilled sausage permeating the air around them. The man I see on every visit to Aachen - a juggler with his German Shepherd - is taking a break from busking, his dog sprawled out on a blanket. Every store has its doors flung open, music playing, trying to attract patrons.

One of my favorite shops is Mayersche, a multi-story bookstore near the cathedral which, despite its modern looks, hides the original Roman baths from two thousand years ago. The current bath in Aachen is Carolus Thermen, a spa that opened in 2001 with a thermal bath, sauna, solarium, massage parlors, and restaurants. Unlike ancient times, when the spas were only accessible to nobility (both Charlemagne and Casanova took the waters), Carolus Thermen is open to everyone, allowing people from all walks of life to enjoy the waters that have made Aachen such an attraction for two millennia.

After spending the day among civilization, it's nearly time for me to go. I grab an iced chai latte and sit in a shady part of the markt, listening to the live show. My next stop is Lambertz, one of the many bakeries that specialize in the local gingerbread, called printen. After one more stop, to gourmet shop Oil & Vinegar, I make my way to the train station.

As I walk, I ponder what makes Aachen so special. I once met an American expatriate who was selling incense and candles in a booth during the annual Christmas market (Aachen has one of the better ones I've seen). When asked what drew her to Aachen, she replied, "It's a magical place." I believe her. After all, there is something about this city that made Charlemagne choose it as the centerpiece of his empire. It's hard to put your finger on what it is exactly, but when you come to Aachen, you just feel it. And that's what keeps me coming back.

Christmas in Aachen

I took my aunt and cousin to Aachen today to visit the Dom, treasury, fountains, and the Christmas market. Of course, I've been to Aachen before, but it was still a fabulous day. The weather was mild...cool and crisp, but not cold. No wind. It was very festive.

The Christmas market was wonderful! I liked it much more than the ones I saw in Cologne last year. I found a gift for my Grandma - a handpainted glass globe from Monschau. There is a place to put a tea-light candle inside of it. A beautiful snow scene is painted on it. I just hope I wrap it well enough so it doesn't get broken.

I got a couple things for a friend's care package. And I bought some chocolate covered printen for us...it is delicious! How have I already been to Aachen twice before now and have never tried this before? We ate some whilst enjoying a hot drink at Starbucks. I had a chai latte...it's been so long since I had one. It was such a treat.

I took them to the Spanish restaurant where I ate the first time I came to Aachen - Paella. Sue and I had the all you can eat lunch buffet. Again, it was delicious. We stuffed ourselves sick. For that price, how could you not? I mean, 4,90 euros per person...ALL YOU CAN EAT. Awesome!

It was such a great day. I even gave 50 cents to the juggler who I've seen around Aachen before...I would rather he spend it to feed his dog, but he looked like he could use some spare change.

Awesome Aachen

Lance went off to participate in a couple of shooting tournaments today, so I took the opportunity to catch a sightseeing tour of Aachen with a group from base. Let me tell you, I have no idea why I waited so long to go! Aachen is very close and going by train is pretty cheap...it takes 20 minutes to get there by train. I couldn't have spent the day with a nicer group of people. And we even had an Aachen native to assist with the tour...Nadja is my age and super cool. She was a lot of fun.

The tour was annoying enough at first. We spent quite a bit of time in Aachen train station while our tour guide showed us how to get our train tickets from the automated machine. It is the easiest thing in the world to do, but she wanted to make sure that each of us knew how, so she had each of us pretend to buy tickets so she could make sure we knew how to punch in the proper city codes and choose the right kind of ticket, etc. I was horribly impatient. I really wanted to explore!

Finally she was satisfied that we knew what we were doing and we set out. But not before stopping at a delicious bakery that had the most out of this world pastries! I wasn't even hungry, but I just couldn't resist. I could get so fat living here!

We didn't get to see much since it was a large group and there were small children slowing us down...plus people had different interests and we just couldn't follow the itinerary that was laid out for us. But I got enough of a taste to know that I want to go back to Aachen!

Our first stop was one of Aachen's theatres. Aachen has several theatres and is a world class theatre city. We only had time to see one theatre though, but it was closed, so we couldn't see inside.

Aachen has many thermal hot springs, so we stopped in an area where tourists are allowed to taste the water. The water is said to be medicinal if you drink it or bathe in it. I took a sip of it...it smelled like rotten eggs and it tasted like hard boiled eggs. Not impressed. But it was very warm though; if you can stand the smell long enough, I bet it's nice to bathe in.

Before lunch, we mostly walked around to look at statuary and fountains. Aachen has some interesting statues. My favorite was the puppet statue, which features several moveable puppets and masks. There was a violin quartet playing near this statue...they played the most incredible music, so we stopped to listen for a few minutes. Out of all the street performers I've seen so far in Europe, that was by far one of the best. We stopped for about 20 minutes to do some shopping in this massive bookstore that had an International section. The books were too expensive though.

We split up at lunch time because we all have different tastes, but most of us ended up at a Spanish restaurant. They had an all you can eat buffet for the extremely cheap price of 4.90 (trust me, in Europe, that is a steal). The food was A-MAZ-ING. Seriously. Wow. I had the most awesome soup I've ever tasted in my life at this place...it was a garlic and yogurt concoction. I imagine you're all wrinkling your noses, but it was seriously soooo sooooo good. I stuffed myself sick, but by then the weather was warming up nicely, the sun was out, and it was just lovely and perfect. We just had a very long lunch and just sat and soaked up the sun and enjoyed conversation. It was so great and relaxing.

After lunch, we headed to the Dom. I was very upset to learn that the Dom is in a lot of danger right now. The structure sustained some damage during WWII. Most of it remained intact, but some parts of it are very unstable right now and they're trying to rebuild it before it falls apart completely. It's such a gorgeous gorgeous structure, so it would be a shame for it to fall apart (in fact, if you look at my pictures, you'll see scaffolding on it and that is why). The Dom is so old (it was built in Charlemagne's time...around 800). Charlemagne is buried there. In fact, I saw his grave. His bones are actually encased in silver and gold, and then housed inside this very elaborate casket that looks like a fancy house. And that is encased in glass). His casket sits right smack in the middle of the cathedral...I didn't even realize it was his grave at first because it was so conspicuous. That is pretty unusual (most prominent people have sarcophagi in the wings of a cathedral somewhere, but not right in the middle and elevated as to be the entire centerpiece of the church). Also, the Dom has these really amazing mosaic ceilings and the stained glass inside is just incredible.

The Rathaus (government seat) is located right across the square from the Dom, and that too is an imposing structure. In fact, it sits up higher than the cathedral because Charlemagne wanted to remind the church that his rule was above theirs. But he couldn't say it outright, so he had the Rathaus built so that it was taller than the Dom. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to view this on the inside.

After our visit to the Dom, we stopped by a neighboring church, which was also Roman Catholic affiliated. Since the Dom was built for royalty (in fact 38 kings were crowned there and many royal weddings took place there), there was a parish church built in the 1400's for all the regular people. A good deal of this church was destroyed during WWII and rebuilt in 1952. The contrast to the Dom is startling. While the Dom was just ornate and fantastically beautiful, the other church was very stark and plain on the inside. And I don't think it even resembled its former self, because the stained glass inside that church was very modernistic...not something that was created in the 15th century. And the old half of the structure looked drastically different than the newer half.

Anyway, that was mainly all I got to see, but I can't wait to return to Aachen again. It's an absolutely fantastic city, and the people are very friendly. And from what I can tell, there is great shopping and a good variety of restaurants. We had a really good laugh when one of the young boys on our tour (he's 5) was checking out a Vespa that was parked on the sidewalk. The owner of the Vespa arrived just then, and he grabbed the boy and put him on the seat of his Vespa, put the helmet on his head, and turned on the engine so the boy could "vroooooom" it. The man spoke absolutely no English, but we all still managed to communicate with each other despite that. The little boy was thrilled...his day was made. It was really cute.

Oh, and as an aside, I did speak some German today. I was quite proud of myself. I ordered everything in German and I was understood. And some people even spoke English back to me, so maybe my German wasn't that good. But at least I tried!