Today I went to Germany!!! 12 of us went on the trip, from Gent to Liege (in Wallonia, the French-speaking south of Belgium) and then another train across the border of Belgium and into Germany to Aachen. The trip was organised by a group of spaniards who were really great people (the nicest spanish people I have met so far) and also there was an Italian girl I hadn't met, a Turkish girl who's name I can't pronouce (sorry) and a Polish guy Artur (Arthur). Plus some of the crew who went to Brussels yesterday. We even made proper packed lunches to take with us as we didnt arrive in Aachen until 12:30pm.
Aachen is an ancient city, for example the Cathedral we visited was built in 732 AD !!! Can you believe it?!??!?! Aachen is also quite close to Cologne / Koln. It was really lovely to go by train as we got to see the countryside of southern Belgium, which is a lot nicer than what I have seen of Flanders so far, as it has rolling hills and nice trees etc. It was also another nice day. Aachen scared me at first as we came out the the train station and some punk-dressed people harassed us for money. So we all felt threatened and unsafe for a while. But then once we were in the city centre and found our way around we were fine. I didn't have a map of Aachen, so I took a step back and let the others guide the group and decide where to go, unlike the last few trips we have had where I have helped guide the group. I do find that I get delegated to tasks requiring asking for information in English, but in Brussels we had to rely on our French colleagues, and in Aachen our Polish colleague who knew some German.
We saw the Cathedral inside, which is so beautiful, and then went to visit the Treasury, which is a room full of jewels and artefacts linked to the history (and it is a long history!) of the town. My personal favourite is "The Arm Reliquary" which is an arm-shaped reliquary made of gold, to house the right forearm of Charlemagne (an Emporer of Rome who built had the Cathedral built). You can see the ulna and radius bones inside - he died in 814 AD!
Some of the group who had togs then went off to the Spa (there are geothermal springs) that Aachen is well-known for. I wish I had not left half of my togs in NZ! But I guess that is a good excuse to travel back there once Hamish arrives, so I can have a spa! We spent the rest of the afternoon checking out other touristy spots like the city park, the last bit of medieval wall protecting the city, and then headed back to Gent! We had great fun on the trains, singing and having a complete ball. I'm very glad I made the effort to get up early, make my lunch and get myself out the door!
I've been to (some of) Germany!!!!! Wooohoooo!
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