Life: Idiotropic

Friends in town lend a reason to revisit places that I love, but don't always find the time to see in the day to day routine of kid stuff, volunteer stuff, and housekeeping. So, with Jessica here with her family (I've known her since the 4th grade!!), I decided it was a good reason to head to Aachen for a stroll.

Photos 1: One of the things I love about Europe is the contrast between the old and new, the priceless and the tacky. Europe gets glorified a bit by those who haven't been here yet. It seems so beautiful and ornate - so perfect and elegant - and yet, you get here and see McDonald's and Burger King, Micky Mouse and Levi's, American style carnival rides blaring American rock and roll... and tacky carnival candy sold at 10X it's worth. There's beauty here. There's history and mysticism and lore. But people are people, kids are kids, and every where, even in front of Charlemagne's great Dom, people will gather at the carnivals, ride the kiddie rides, and treat their little ones to something sweet. Some things are just universal.

Photo 2: My little Elise on the carousel - a firetruck, I think. One ride. A little bit of fun for her and Sam in our day of touring the old city.

Photo 3: A seasonal treat and sign of autumn. A sweet hedgehog made of printen cookie (Aachener Lebkuchen) and slivered almonds.

Photo 4: Legend has it that the when the people of Aachen needed a church, they didn't have enough money to build one, so they signed a contract with the devil that if he helped build the cathedral, he'd get the soul of the first one who entered. The clever Aacheners sent a wolf in a wig into the cathedral first, tricking the devil, so he rushed in to grab the wolf, then realized that he was tricked and hit the walls in anger losing a thumb in the right lion's mouth when he was trying to open the door. People say that you can still feel the devil's thumb stuck in the lion's mouth if you stick your finger in (yet I have my suspicions). I haven't tried it... may be on the next visit.

Photo 5: F is for friends and fun and flowers... These sunflowers are gorgeous! Jess bought them for me from a flower stand just in front of Aachen's Rathaus. They were almost as tall as Elise with the stems on, so I had to take a few photos. Beautiful girl, beautiful blooms.