On to Aachen

On Saturday, Robin, her friend Robert, and I took a trip to, among other places, Aachen, which had been a favorite city of Charlemagne. He began construction on the Aachen Cathedral in 786, and it became a part of his palace:


It’s a charming city, and we wandered through the streets. This statue is made so that children—and I—can play with the limbs and rearrange them:


Here’s one of the somewhat creepy faces:


The city decision-makers were very adamant about renaming the street. This street is not Klostergasse, it is now named for Pope John Paul II:


Here’s a striking juxtaposition of old architecture and new:


This restaurant is what’s on the front of that new building. Tee hee:


Because the next day was Easter Sunday, people in the Düsseldorf train station were giving away potted flowers. So Robert carried a potted flower in his pocket all day. You can see how nicely it began to bloom during the course of the day: