It's been a while. I've been settling in to Aachen and into my research work at the RWTH Department of Landscape Architecture. Now that I have a full week of work behind me I'm starting to feel like I kind of know what I'm doing. In the meantime, I've been doing some sightseeing in the vicinity around Aachen.
Some highlights:
Köln
Known as Cologne in English, Köln is a slightly larger city about 45 minutes by train from Aachen. The highlight of the city is the cathedral - the Kölner Dom. Last year when I was in Berlin, many people recommended that I visit this cathedral but I thought I'd never get the chance. And then last week I was there. To be fair, my second experience with a huge Gothic cathedral was less overwhelming than my first encounter with one in Prague last summer. However in Köln we got to climb 530+ stairs to (near) the top of one of the bell towers. Great exercise and a great view of the city and the Rhine River. It's really fascinating how historical buildings in Germany have been restored, preserved, or rebuilt after experiencing war damage. The Kölner Dom was essentially the only building left standing in Köln after WWII. I was very interested to see that one of its stained glass windows was rebuilt in a more modern style.
Köln
Known as Cologne in English, Köln is a slightly larger city about 45 minutes by train from Aachen. The highlight of the city is the cathedral - the Kölner Dom. Last year when I was in Berlin, many people recommended that I visit this cathedral but I thought I'd never get the chance. And then last week I was there. To be fair, my second experience with a huge Gothic cathedral was less overwhelming than my first encounter with one in Prague last summer. However in Köln we got to climb 530+ stairs to (near) the top of one of the bell towers. Great exercise and a great view of the city and the Rhine River. It's really fascinating how historical buildings in Germany have been restored, preserved, or rebuilt after experiencing war damage. The Kölner Dom was essentially the only building left standing in Köln after WWII. I was very interested to see that one of its stained glass windows was rebuilt in a more modern style.
Düsseldorf
Last Saturday I went with my buddy and her friend to explore Düsseldorf. As part of my research program, we signed up for a buddy program offered by RWTH. This program paired us each up with an RWTH student who met us at the train station when we arrived and brought us the keys to our rooms. My buddy proved to be a lifesaver lending me or helping me get all the bedding, dishes, and other various items I needed to live my life in the first week. Happily, she seems to be interested in spending time with me past those first few days.
We got off to a great start on our Düsseldorf excursion by missing the train we intended to take but we arrived in plenty of time to do everything we planned anyways. A really useful bonus of being enrolled at RWTH for the semester is the semester ticket, which allows me to take nearly any of the buses and trains within Nordrhine-Westfaln.
The first thing we did was go up the Rheinturm. There, I rediscovered my love of seeing cities from above. Something that has pleasantly surprised me about this part of the world is how pretty many of the more modern bridges are. After the Rheinturm, we explored the old city and the main shopping street - The Kö. |
Maastricht
Somehow last weekend, a large number of people in my program went on excursions to other cities or countries, leaving me without anyone to make plans with for Sunday. After I got over feeling lonely and abandoned, I did what I know best in that situation and made my own solo excursion to the Dutch city of Maastricht. Only an hour away by bus (and under 9 euros round-trip) Maastricht was an excellent solitary day excursion. I found a tour of Fort Pieter and the nearby limestone caves created by digging out the limestone.
After making the bus connections perfectly to get there on time, I had a great three hours of following our guide with a lantern through the damp tunnels of the fort, looking out over the town from the top of the fort, and following another guide through the chilly, high ceilinged limestone caves. The cave tour was especially memorable was we twisted through the interior of the hill learning tidbits about the area's history. Something I hadn't realized before the tour was that there is actually a considerable amount of art done on the tunnel walls. The tunnels were closed off to the public outside of guided tours several years ago, but before that, people used to go in and draw with charcoal on the walls. Rounding a corner to see a huge dinosaur or portrait drawn intricately on the wall with charcoal was a fantastic experience. After the tours, I wandered through the old town a bit before heading home. Once again, the bridges fascinated me. Maastricht is also really great because it has all these sections of the old city wall you can walk on top of in the middle of the city. Fairytale streams and parks just completed the experience.
Even more important than the things I saw in Maastricht was the reminder it gave me that I can create my own happiness. This summer has been unexpectedly harder than last in not feeling lonely or homesick. It's good to remember that I can do fun and exciting things on my own. |