Deutschland 4 - Frankfurt, Rhine Valley, Cologne, Aachen and touching Belgium and Holland!

guess what? i'm crook in the tummy.. again! that's probably why i am on the computer at the moment.. don't think it was a continuation from Heidelberg coz i definitely recovered from that.. i have set a few theories for this latest tummy drama - Aachen's infamously sulphuric water, eating a kilo of Aachen gingerbread, kolsch from last night (nah but was feeling alright this morning bar some burping), the surprisingly and horrifyingly dirty RegionaleBahn train between Cologne and Düren, a stomach bug or just my body telling me it's sick of travelling and it's nearly time to go home..

shame really.. had such a great day in Aachen which must surely be the most inernational city in the world.. i don't think there is another city on earth where you are a border town to three different countries, or at least one as famous as Aachen aka Aix en Chappelle aka Aaken in French or Dutch.. of course with the Schnegen agreement between most EU nations, you can just drive into the Netherlands to do Sunday shopping as if you were driving from Dunedin to Mosgiel and that is reality in Aachen where tons of Germans just drive down 10 minutes to the village of Vaals and suddenly shops don't have to be closed on a Sunday like they have to be in Germany and there's a packed supermarket on the first left after the Vaals sign.. even the 25,33,35 buses stop at Vaals bus station like its another stop.. Vaals must be the most unique suburb of any city, in that it may be the only suburb in the world to not belong to the same country as the main city!

haven't even mentioned Belgium yet too! prob coz there isnt quite a place right next to Aachen ala Vaals.. but walk to this place called Dreilanderpunt from Vaals like i did and once u enjoy the satisfaction of being actually in three countries at once, you can walk down this quiet country road for less than 1 minute and youŕe actually in Belgium.. the roadsigns are in French since this is the French speaking Wallonia region.. the glories of being in Europe..

i think i will probably end up remembering Aachen for being that border city where u could be in three countries at once just a bit more than for its wonderful Dom - it is gorgeous inside, with its lavishly gold altar, Charlemange shrine and the devil's thumb-wolf story - gingerbread (think it's called patten or something like that), and quirky statues - it is a wicked little city actually with quite a huge history, being involved in the Charlemange Middle Ages era.. but almost all European cities have a Dom or Munster in the middle.. u can be in Holland, Belgium and Germany in one second in Aachen.. a bit different from going and staing in Amsterdam or Brussels but still worth it just to say you've been there and seen a place where it's not unusual for a Belgian, Dutch and German car to be parked nose to tail on the street!

tomorrow i will spend a bit more time in Cologne so will mention more a bit later and hopefully my tummy will be fine.. although can say have seen the Dom and it's massive although a bit of a beefcake compared to the elegant Dom in Aachen.. inside is awesome and being in a mass with the heavenly voices of the cathedral choir - Europeans still have the best voices in the world as long as they aint smoking - and the organ playing can be quite an experience too.. in fact it is the ultimate European experience.. too often people just walk inside a cathedral and wow at the stained glass and golden altar but a cathderal is always first and foremost a place of worship and to see it being used for what it was made for is always the panacea.. and i'm glad i attended a mass in the Cologne Dom.. something quite amazing.. tomorrow will prob end up looking through the treasury and with a bit of luck the spire.

before i forget should mention that Frankfurt turned out to be quite a lovely surprise.. and the apple wine is a wonderful drink, nothing like cider.. once u see the purpose of a city, the more u can enjoy it.. and took the train through the Rhine Valley.. sensational.. more later!