A Fantastic Day In Aachen, Germany

Aachen, Germany, is a quick drive from our home in Belgium, so I like to spend the day there every few months. It's a great place to wander around with a friend, so that's what I did today.

My favorite place to start is in front of the Rathaus (Town Hall). She's a beauty, and she's built on the foundation of the ruined palace of Charlemagne, Emperor of the Romans from 800 to 814. It's also a wonderful meeting place. You'll always find groups of people sitting at nearby cafes, relaxing and sipping coffee with their friends. As an added bonus, this is the site of the annual Aachen Christmas Market. Did I mention that this is one of my favorite spots in all of Aachen?

Charlemagne's statue is in front of the Town Hall. Charlemagne was the founding father of the French and German monarchies. He has been referred to at the "Father of Europe". I hope you'll remember me when you win the big bucks on Jeopardy. I'd like a bright blue Mustang, please. The car, not the horse. This is one of my other favorite places in Aachen. You can't visit without stopping by Starbucks and getting a cup of happiness. Thanks for taking my picture, Deb!

This is one of my new favorites. It's the Tee Gschwendner, a lovely tea shop beside the Town Hall. When you step inside, it's almost like walking into your Grandma's kitchen... full of warmth and wonderful aromas. This awesome lady was so patient and helpful. She gave us lots of tips and let us smell tons of different teas. I picked up a few things, including Aachener Printentee (Aachen's own personal brew), and some brown rock candy sugar crystals to sweeten it up. If you have a little free time, then step upstairs to find a wonderful and cozy tea room that spans several different floors. You can sip away while gazing out the windows at the square. Soon, we continued on our walk around the city.

As always, we stopped by the Oil and Vinegar shop to check out the goodies.

And then stopped by the fountain to play a little bit. All of the characters on the fountain are movable, so you can pose them however you want. It's always fun to watch the children playing with them. OK, maybe I like to play some, too.

A quick peek into the Nobis Printen store to admire (and smell) the gingerbread, and we were off again.

The florists on the street had lots of beautiful Fall goodies for sell today. The wreaths were so pretty.

And I'm always a sucker for fresh flowers. For less than $10, you would be, too!

And check out these crazy pumpkins for 1 euro each! I love it! Fall is such a fun and colorful season, isn't it? More gorgeous architecture to admire...

The Cathedral of Aachen became the first German building to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage list. I can't believe I haven't stepped inside for a tour yet. On my next visit. I promise.

This store was another great find. It's Vom Fass, and they sell everything from oil and vinegar to wine and hard liquor from all over the world. They even have stores in the US, so be sure to check out their site and see if there's one near you. These wooden kegs hold whiskey and other liquors.

This is a selection of their vinegar. Don't you just love these crocks? They have lots of interesting bottles, and you just pick out what you want. The salespeople do the rest. They'll even wrap it up all fancy if it's a gift.

I had to take a picture of these. On the left is Burke's Tequila Gold from Mexican, and it's 40%alcohol. On the right is Absinthe, and it's 70%. I can't imagine who could drink that stuff! You'd breathe flames and pass right out. Or maybe that's just me. I sampled a few wines, and they were terrific. I even came home with a bottle. In all, I had a super day in Aachen with a great friend. It was just what the doctor ordered.