day of historical fun!

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I met my friend from KU, Chase Richards, in Aachen, Germany to explore this small city. Chase had informed me before that it was mainly a city of "historical interest", so I knew we were in for a good time.

Aachen borders France and Germany, and like most border cities, both France and Germany have claimed possession of this city throughout most of history. The French name for it is Aix-la-Chappelle. Charlemagne is buried here, which is the attraction for most tourists. Besides that, however, it is just a beautiful little German city. I was happy to be in Germany (especially with my new tiny amount of language proficiency), and I was happy to be out of the big city for awhile. Especially on the train ride over - the leaves are changing colors in Belgium, and it was quite beautiful.

Chase and I had a typical German meal. I was very good about eating meat - I ordered sausage, mashed potatoes, and sauerkraut, and I have no complaints. It's not what I would choose to eat regularly, but it was excellent food.

After Aachen, I wandered back to Cologne and Bonn with Chase. We went to a good-bye shin dig with his language institute friends, then turned in early to prepare for our departure to Vienna. His landlord was kind enough to let me stay in her house. For those of you who don't know, Chase was lucky enough to stay in a villa in Bonn - this massive house was beautiful and staying there was a treat. The backyard deck looks out over mountains and has a swimming pool that is designed to look like a natural pond.

Enjoy the pictures. A really, really long entry from Vienna is coming this week - once I can muster the energy to describe it. Here's a hint: both Chase and I have decided that Vienna is our favorite European city thus far. It was wonderful.

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