"Aachen" for more of Germany...

Actually, it's pronounced "AHH-ken"and not "AAY-ken", which would have sounded pretty catchy...

After a splendid day in Monschau the weekend before last, we decided to explore more of Germany and spent a day in the town of Aachen (last Saturday). Once known for its ancient hot springs, today the town is famous for its association with Emperor Charlemagne (a.k.a. Charles the Great). And its only about an hours' drive from Tervuren!

The main attraction of the town is the Aachen Cathedral. Built by Emperor Charlemagne in 786AD, his remains were buried there and are still located at the Cathedral.

The Cathedral's treasury is home to an impressive collection of holy artifacts collected by Charlemagne, including the cloak of the Virgin Mary, the swaddling clothes and loincloth of Christ and the decapitation cloth of John the Baptist. These relics are taken out of its precious shrine and put on display only during the Aachen pilgrimage which takes place once every 7 years.

There is an interesting local legend regarding the cathedral door. Apparently, the devil trapped his thumb in the door and you can still feel the devil's thumb in the right lion's mouth.

After taking in the Cathedral, we browsed through town and stopped at Kaiser Wetter, a local cafe, for a lunch of turkey salad, salami pizza and penne pasta.

Before leaving, we shopped in the Aachen open air market and purchased white asparagus (a german delicacy), which are now in season. For those of you who do not know, white asparagus is grown completely in the dark, covered under soil which produces the "green-less" spargel. It is said to be milder and more tender than the green variety we are accustomed to.

Although spargel is available throughout Europe this time of year, the vendor in Aachen had a cool automated peeler and washer that made buying them here worthwhile.

Later that evening, Jo cooked them using a Wolfgang Puck recipe which we enjoyed for dinner.

We made sure to buy some Printen, a famous Aachen treat, which are sold at numerous shops and bakeries throughout Aachen. These treats are baked in a mold, are thick and chewy and are reminiscent of sweet, spicy gingerbread. Its taste quite unique, it's not for everyone (DS and I didn't care for it), however the sweet-tooths of the family -- Jo and PS enjoyed them quite a bit!

Before we left, we walked over to see the Rathaus (City Hall) and the Market square. And also, what has now become a new tradition when in Germany, we stopped to get some delicious local Eis (ice cream).

DS and PS enjoying Eis in front of the Aachen Cathedral.

There's nothing like making a run to Germany when you are Aachen for some good ice cream!

A slice of heaven... Monschau, Germany

Now that the weather is warming up, we are catching up on one of our favorite pastimes -- exploring Europe. This past weekend, we spent the day in Monschau, Germany.

The town centre over the River Rur. The Haller (watchtower) is on the northern hill. Monschau's Rotes Haus (red house) is on the left and Restaurant Tomasa is on the right.

Located about an hour and a half drive from Tervuren, just 2 km across the Belgian border in the Eifel mountain range, this small historic town is considered by many as the most beautiful in the Rhineland region. Quite stunning, situated in a valley surrounded by dolomite cliffs, this town was left unscathed after WWII, which accounts for the extraordinarily well-preserved houses that are centuries old, tucked into peaceful hilly landscapes. We enjoyed walking through narrow streets lined with half-timbered houses topped with high slate roofs, some richly colored and ornate.

We stopped for a leisurely lunch at Restaurant Tomasa, located in the Hotel Horchem in the center of town (recommended by a girl at the tourism office). Our outdoor table sat right over the River Rur, offering spectacular views of the cascading river and surrounding town. While Ray and I ordered off the restaurant's formal menu, the girls opted for a simple bratwurst, which was being sold at the hotels own bratwurst stand. The good food, great company, a nice glass of wine, beautiful weather and perfect setting in this beautiful town of Monschau, made for what felt like a "slice of heaven"...

After lunch, we walked up the stairs (144 steps from what we were told) up to the town's medieval castle. Situated high on the cliffs, the castle ruins offered outstanding panoramic views of the town of Monschau and its surrounding landscape. Although the castle is mainly in ruins, it was worth the climb for its view (and the exercise!). Did I mention the various playgrounds we ran across while browsing through town?

We then strolled back to town and browsed a few of the shops, one of which was selling Monschau's local mustard made in several different flavors. I opted for the honey poppyseed (quite delish) which I bought for our neighbor. And wild boar salami for my dad. Good luck finding a souvenir (other than postcards) that say Monschau on it -- I could not find a single magnet to add to my mom's collection!

The girls convinced us to stop for some local Eis (ice-cream). We knew from our previous trips to Germany that it was no doubt going to be good. It was.

Right as we were driving out of town, it started drizzling, then gray skies with rain all the way home. Perfect timing after a perfect day. We will definitely visit Monschau again, for its Christmas Market, which is said to be the most picturesque in all of Germany...

Music, good food and great view...

Sounds like a date, doesn't it? Well, actually not. Not possible since Ray is in California racking up more 1K points. So, in my quest to stay busy while Ray is away, what to do with the girls for the one day I didn't have plans for?

DS & PS sitting in front of a statue (I'm still trying to figure out what this is) near Gare Central Station...

I decided to take the girls on a jaunt to the Musical Instruments Museum (Musee des Instruments de Musique) here in Brussels. A tram and metro ride later, we found ourselves in the heart of Brussels and a short walk away to the museum (after we figured out where to go, that is).

The exterior of the building which houses the Musical Instruments Museum...

The museum is sitated in a lovely art-noveau building, which was once the luxurious Old England Department Store in the 19th century. Friends have said the restaurant at the top is a must for its fabulous view, so we made it our first stop. We had an enjoyable lunch and the bird's eye view of the city did not disappoint.

A corner table with an incredible view...

DS & PS love going out to restaurants...

Salade de nouilles aux legumes des de poulet aux herbes... (what happened to my chicken salad? Note to self -- bone up on French!) My noodle dish with chicken and vegetables actually turned out to be quite nice.

Spaghetti jambon fromage for the girls...

After lunch, we proceeded to browse the museum. We were armed with infrared headsets which played the sounds of the instruments as you stepped in front of each exhibit. Pretty cool. The museum houses thousands of instruments, modern and historical from practically every culture and country of the world. My favorite -- the bagpipes, which coincidentally, sparked a funny conversation between DS and I on how we might get Daddy to dress up in a traditional scottish kilt. Like I said, it was a pretty funny conversation.

DS and PS listening to the music of this instrument from Asia...

The girls enjoyed the area where they could actually touch and play some of the instruments. Although this area was quite small, they also enjoyed walking through the museum listening to different types of music.

PS demonstrating her musical abilities...

DS giving it a go, too...

On the way back to the metro station, we came across Hotel Ravenstein, which I learned is the sole surviving building from the 15th century Burgundian Period. It's amazing how you find little pieces of history just walking through the city...

The girls posing in front of Hotel Ravenstein...

We made it to Gare Central Station for the trip home!