Sight Seeing in Aachen and Öcher Osterbend

Late Saturday morning we met an old friend who had offered to show us around in Aachen a bit. Luckily for Mia she had brought along one of her sons, Alwin, who really got along well with her.
The first  stop was his school which has an old part and a newer one with a modern glass facade that reflects an old church

Then we had a look inside the cathedral which has has a lot of history and one part that dates back more than 1200 years

Unfortunately there were no guided tours of the Dom that day but at least we had some nice sunny weather

 

After a break at a nice cafe Mia wanted to check out a big fun fair she had seen being set up next to the chocolate factory - the Öcher Osterbend. 
Alwin joined as well and they tried a few things together

They got a bit wet at the Fun House

They liked the slide and went for three rides

The conclusion was the water slide

The day ended with a private chess lesson, pizza and playing some interesting instruments - it couldn't have been much better

Monschau and Hohes Venn

There is a lot to see in and around Aachen and our first side trip was to Monschau - a picturesque old town in an Eifel valley along a a small river.

 Before taking a look we had to stop at a playground

The "Read House" was built with the wealth from the cloth industry in the 18'th century

 The city is full of tourists and cute little shops and resturants

The  area is also good for hiking and canoeing on the river Rur

A few kilometers away across the border in Belgium we went for a walk in the unique High Fens nature reserve on a high plateau with raised bogs. We explore the moorland on a walkway made of wooden bridges

It was windy and cold and we could see patches of snow left in some spots

It was an impressive and unique landscape .
After our walk we were ready for a hearty dinner in a small country inn

Trip to Aachen

For the Easter Holidays we decided to drive to Aachen - an town with a lot of history right on the border with the Netherlands and Belgium. The main part of the cathedral is more than 1200 years old and one can see the throne of Charlemagne in it.
With all this important history our first stop was the factory sale of the Lindt chocolate factory

Across the street was another factory sale - this one for a famous cookie company. Of course we had to check that one out as well

Then it was time to check into our hotel and Mia spotted a nice playground next to it - so so far her impression of Aachen was quite positive

Then we walked the 2 km into the center of the city - and stopped at another plaground

The town hall and the cathedral are the the center of the city

Mia used an old fountain next to the cathedral to clean her scooter

Then she checked out a more modern fountain

We didn't find a good place for dinner that first night but then we had a box full of chocolate and coohies