We validated our Eurail Pass, and went by train to Aachen (or Aix-la-Chapelle if you're French). We walked to the city centre, and bought a guide for the city walking tour. First stop was the fountain of the only drinkable spa water in the city.
The water is very hot and smelly, and the sign says 'kein trinken', but the brochure said it was ok. We walked past several fountains, sculptures and very old (8th century) buildings.
The cathedral was built by Charlemgne as his palace chapel, between 787-805. It is tiny compared with other cathedrals, with the whole nave being under the dome.
Charlemagne's bones (and 16 of his relatives') are in a big gold box, and another contains other treasures including baby Jesus' swaddling cloths, his loin cloth, and the decapitation cloth of John Baptist!!!!!! The big chandelier above the nave was given by Emperor Barbarossa.
On our way to lunch, we passed Sanctvs Stephanvs, Rex Apostolicvs Hungariae, complete with space blanket.
After lunch we walked to the Aachen thermal spa, Carolus Thermal, where we flopped about for nearly 2 hours in pools of 32deg+, being bubbled, and whirled and pounded by waterfalls until we were limp and very pruney. We were too zonked to walk back, so caught buses to the station, via an unbelievable icecream shop that had icecream spag bol, lasagne, pizza, all sorts of sundaes, and some beaut milkshakes.Back in Koln, we ate out, and are now waiting for the dark (it's 10pm and still quite bright), so that we can see the cathedral under lights.
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