Halt die Klapper!

Getting a little behind on my journal again… I meant to write on the train to Weimar, but sleep happens. So this entry is just going to be a quick recap of everything up until today. We went to Aachen and saw the Aachener Dom and at first I was not incredibly impressed. The cathedral is a mixture of multiple different styles, and from the outside it looks impressive but a little mix-matched.

 Charlemagne had the original part of the cathedral built in 792, and it was also his last resting place. Before entering the cathedral we went into the neighboring museum and saw several relics of Charlemagne. They are true relics, in that they contain actual bones from Charlemagne. The one of his bust actually contains an appropriately positioned piece of his skull. We finished up at the museum and went into the Cathedral.

My opinion of the Aachener Dom completely changed upon entrance. Polished marble of every color, gilded mosaics, and lofty walls of stained glass filled your every glance. Attempting to even vaguely portray the inside would be a rather onerous task – so here are some pictures.

 There are also two shrines in the cathedral that are said to contain the clothes of the Virgin Mary and the swaddling clothes and burial robes of Jesus Christ. When in Aachen I also saw a matte black Audi RS-4, an Audi R8, and a German Mike Ditka – Good day!

Our time in Düsseldorf was quickly coming to a close, and we had still yet to visit one of the iconic areas of Düsseldorf…the Medien Haffen.  Luckily Frau Cothran had that covered, and had a tour scheduled. The Medien Haffen is the business district of Düsseldorf that contains the iconic Gehry buildings and the Fernsehturm. It was previously an old shipping harbor for the coal and steel industries and in recent years has been renovated, and is now one of the most modern areas in all of Düsseldorf. Unfortunately it was kind of rainy during our tour, but the buildings were a spectacle none the less. I also managed to snap a couple of decent photos!

One of our last excursions before leaving Düsseldorf was our trip to Schloss Burg. Before touring the castle we had a hike planned through the adjacent woods. So we got off of our train at a stop that was pretty much in the middle of the woods and started hiking. After walking for a bit we came across a slide that went down a hill in the middle of the woods. The four year old in all of us was immediately excited, especially since this wasn’t you’re everyday rinky dinky playground slide… it was a serious slide. 

So that was rather fun. There were also other random interactive things in the woods like a rope bridge and some little animals with springs for legs that you could ride. Anyways, the hike was great. There are so many different types of trees and animals to look at, and it was nice to get away from the city and relax a bit. It was also nice to get some fresh air and not have cigarette smoke blown in your face every time you go around a corner.

Our hike took us to a tiny little town in the middle of a mountain valley. The town actually looked a lot like Helen, GA, except it was authentic. And I mean really authentic… we were probably three hours from the nearest anything. We walked through the town and to a ski lift that was to take us up to the castle. Now it felt like we were in pigeon forge. I had never ridden on a ski lift before, and it was pretty cool. When we got up to the top of the castle there were several small houses and shops in the vicinity as well as a Waffelhaus! We went in to tour the castle, but unfortunately I got in trouble and had to be put in time out…

The castle was a very medieval castle and there were several actual suits of armor from various Knights. The armor suites weighed around 75 kg and we extremely hot. During church services the knights used to have to stand in full armor for the entire 3+ hour service and it was not uncommon for them to pass out. In doing so they often knocked down their pedestal and the Priest would tell them to “Halt die Klappe” (Stop the clapping). The same phrase is now used to tell people to shut up.

Me "Halting the Klapper"

The train ride from Düsseldorf to Weimar was five hours long, and was extremely exciting….

But really, the view was very scenic and beautiful but it was a very good opportunity to catch up on some much needed sleep. Before leaving Düsseldorf we were subjected to tests and projects galore. We arrived in Weimar and quickly went to drop off our luggage at the house. The house is like a small castle and I feel like I am staying at Hogwarts or something. After dropping off our luggage we went out to our reception dinner. At dinner I had Thüringisches Rostbrätl and a Köstritzer Schwarzbier and a Ehringsdorfer Pilz that were all specialties of Weimar. Everything was excellent, and it was nice to have beer other than Alt! I am now in the process of getting acclimated to Weimar, and so far I really like it here.