Friday 30 August 2024
After my epic adventure to Luxembourg (here) we went to Brandenburg castle on the Friday. There wasn't a lot to see but we had a good walk around with some wonderful views.
Saturday 31 August 2024
On Saturday we went to Aachen, Germany. I'd wanted to visit the cathedral there after as it was recommended to me when I was in Liege in 2022. The Belgium Church of St John the Evangelist church, an 8 sided building, was modelled on the octagonal design of Aachen Cathedral, so it was a must see.
It was soooo beautiful! The ceilings are all tiled in blue and gold. It didn't start as a cathedral but as a palace/temple. The central rotunda (well octagon) was probably built in about 10 years starting in 798 (+/- 5 years). It is the final resting place of Charlemagne (or most of him), the coronation church of the Roman-German kings until 1531 and as the pilgrimage church on the occasion of the Aachen Pilgrimage, which takes place every seven years. It was the first place in Germany to be inscribed in UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1978.
I liked this water fountain, the Spatzenbrunnen, a 1978 water fountain on the east side of Munsterplatz. I really thought it was a lot older than that!
This fountain was also interesting. It's the Kreislauf des Geldes, the money cycle.
There was another interesting fountain nearby. If there had been a 'trail of all fountains in Aachen' I'd have signed up. On our return journey we found the tripoint of Germany, The Netherlands and Belgiums so I popped along (more here).
Sunday 01 September 2024
Today we took JC's parents out for lunch - actually I think they took us out, but we drove them! We headed for Bernkastel-Kues but found they had a wine festival on, and the town was only accessible by shuttle bus. So we moved on and ended up just further north at in Brauhaus Kloster having a lovely sunny lunch watching the local paragliders jump.
Monday 02 September 2024
Today we visited the Bock Casements in Luxembourg City. Like the Pétrusse Casements in Luxembourg City, they are a subterranean defence system of kms of tunnels. They were initially carved in the 17th century, under Spanish rule, and twice extended. Apart from the wonderful views, it's hard to imagine what it would have been like living in these underground fortifications protecting the city.
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