Life: Idiotropic

Kirk was off of work today and we needed to get out and do something, so we took Mom down to Aachen. She'd never been there before and it's a really nice little town - not too much history - it was only the capitol of Charlemagne's empire.

The potentially rainy day was absolutely beautiful, so we enjoyed the walk around the city. We started out in the square by the rathaus as usual where they were setting up the cute little wooden buildings for the upcoming Christmas markets, then we walked down one of the main shopping streets towards the Dom where Charlemagne just so happens to be buried. We've been to Aachen quite a bit, but it hasn't gotten boring. It is still a beautiful city and the Dom is so detailed that I still see new things each time I visit it. The cathedral is immense which always makes me curious since I've only seen a small part of it. It was built over hundreds of years too, so the architectural styles vary quite a bit from one part to another as is common in European cathedrals and castles.
From there we walked back around towards the market and the rathaus. Cut Christmas trees lined many streets leaning on light posts ready to be set up. The market on the back of the church had been mostly done and some vendors were already setting out there things, but a huge stack of trees lay in the middle not yet decorated. The youngest two girls kept trying to climb them.

Kirk enjoys the architecture and loved the gargoyles on the Dom. My mom and I enjoyed looking around and ducking quickly into shops to see what was there. We saw a beautiful tweed jacket that was a mere 600 Euros (and that was 50% off!) and a beautiful purse that would fit my camera perfectly - just "coffee money" at 990 Euros. The shop windows are all decorated for Christmas and the printen shops, especially, were inviting with foot and a half stacks of different flavored printen cookies filing the windows - some covered in different shades of chocolate and some not - it was hard to walk away without buying a bag of it. Tiara moped until I let her get her camera out and take her own pictures.
But the little ones, I think had an even better time than anyone. Instead of whining about being bored, they skipped along to the movable fountain where a man played the accordion and a older lady danced with her grandson, then searched the sidewalk for really big leaves. Then, as we got closer to the church, they found a sweet little grey pigeon to chase. Arianna was following it carefully trying not to scare it away, then Luci and Elise would run up and watch it flap, raise a foot of the ground, and land just a couple feet away. Then the process would begin again. Those three always manage to stay entertained.

Standing on the steps of the Rathaus we could see Starbucks over the tops of the little wood stands, so we went there for coffee. This the the only place where I break my rule not to go to American fast food... I still haven't gone to Subway, McDonald's, or KFC, but Starbucks is good and reliable. I know I can find spacious seating for myself and the girls, a clean bathroom, and really decent food. The food at Starbucks here is much better than anything I've had there in the states anyway... with a lot more healthier choices too! It was nice to have a small snack and relax before heading home. The girls know where the kid corner is too, so when they were done eating, the "older" people got to chat without wiping chocolate cookie off of anyone's face.

Both before and after our Aachen adventure, we let the kids have 15 minutes on the slide. It's great. The REALLY tall slide is just by the parking garage that we use, so they can climb up the narrow windy staircase to the top, then slide down the big tunnel. They figured out that they went faster sliding down on their coats, so the coats came off and they slid fast. Luci slid right off the end of the slide and then Tiara came flying off the end right after her with Elise on her lap. Last night Luci asked if we could go back to the slide again... it always leaves an impression.
So my kids, after living in Europe, will not remember the historical stuff at all, but they'll remember that Europe has cool slides and fun playgrounds. I guess that's ok.