Alan was busy at work most of the week so I kept myself entertained. Monday was a nice day to visit the local yarn store. The lady was very nice, even gave me a pattern for a scarf. It is in German so it might take me a while to translate it. I headed back to the room with my goods and knit the rest of the afternoon and watched German nature programs.
Tuesday there was a market in the streets right next to our hotel. All sorts of vendors with fruit, flowers, meat, vegetables, and even buttons! I needed 3 buttons to finish a neck warmer for Alan and the vendor picked out some that matched perfectly. It was weird to see strawberries next to cranberries considering the season. I picked up some grapes and headed back to the room to knit for the rest of the day.
Wednesday, I figured it was time to head out. I decided to take the train to Düren and then to Aachen. After I purchased my train ticket, I was waiting for the train and when it finally arrived, I accidentally dropped my ticket. It blew under the train. I had to crouch down on the ground and reach under to get it. Yikes! I felt so silly.
I managed to get to Düren safely and then was able to catch the train to Aachen on time. It was a really quick ride, about an hour total on both trains.
Aachen is a lovely town. I don't know much about it and I stayed close to the
Aachen Cathedral and the train station, just in case. I didn't want to get lost. The streets were all old and narrow. Doorways, streets, and corners were all nice and some very decorated. There was even a fountain that had statues you could move.
The town is also famous for the
Printen they produce. It is like a spiced cookie but the one I tried was a bit bland. I am used to really spiced Lebkuchen or gingerbread. The bakery I went to had a lovely display though. They make the Printen in cute shapes and display it in the windows to entice shoppers.
The cathedral was open and I was even allowed to take photos, for a small fee. There was very few visitors at the time I was there but they did have a special room where someone was playing a flute of some sort and then another person was reciting a story. I listened for a while and then walked on. Charlemagne is buried here but I didn't know this until after I left. I missed quite a bit as I didn't really read up before I went. There is a cool hot bath place called Carolus Thermen that would have been neat to see.
I did wander around and found a yarn store. Gorg & Gorg was the name. The lady in the store was not particulary helpful, didn't even acknowledge my presence. It had similar yarns to the store in Jülich so I didn't pick up anything new.
On my stroll back to the train station I found the streets were very ornate. I happened upon a chocolate store. They had a great selection of Destropper cookies, some of my favorite non-homeade cookies, and they even had mini boxes. Very tempting!
I managed to find the station and get on the right train back to Jülich. I wanted to get back and and see the citadel museum. It is only open 2-5 on some days as it is a school in addition to a museum. It has a crazy underground that you can walk through. There is a small church and a small collection of bits and pieces, worth a visit.
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