We just got back from a two-day journey that took us to Limberg Province (southern Netherlands), into Belgium, then on to Aachen, Germany.
The Dutch landscape is pretty flat. The country´s official name,
Nederland, means Low Land; the word "Holland" is actually the name of just 2 provinces in the Netherlands (North- and South-Holland) but has become synonymous with the whole country.
Limberg Province Has Holland´s only mountain...a big hill, actually. It is on the border with Belgium and rises to 300+ meters (1000´). As we drove by, my wife jokingly refered to this mountain as
The Dutch Alp. Then, we crossed over into Belgium. After 40 minutes of driving through Belgium´s washboard roads, we entered Germany and made our way to Aachen, the city that was the seat of King Charlemangne´s power. Teachers & students pay attention: King Charlemangne of the Franks was the guy who invented
public schooling. Before him, school was reserved for the elite.
In King Charlemagne´s time, Aachen was known by its French name,
Aix-la-Chapelle, and it was the seat of Charlemagne´s power. The King made it into a showpiece city, as is any capital city´s right. Aachen´s hot thermal waters - which have a pungent sulphur smell and taste - attracted the king and still attract visitors to this day. The thermal waters are said to cure or ease a number of maladies brought on by infirmity and old age....
In 794 A.D., Charlemagne chose Aix-la-Chapelle as residence and in 800 A.D. he becomes Emperor of the Franks, Saxons and Bavarians. His immense Empire benefits from his careful administration and years of prosperity ensue. Unfortunately, it is shortlived as Charlemagne dies in 814 A.D. Even so, his legacy lives on and his desire to see the common people receive a basic education is a value most countries hold to this day. (I´m pretty common yet I can read and write...thanks King Charlemagne!)
The Dome (Aachen Cathedral) was started by Charlemagne and is a masterpiece of medeval architecture. The Cathedral was finished some 600 years later and is now a UNESCO world heritage site. The main entrance is a huge bronze door on which is recounted the legend about the Cathedral´s construction: apparently, Satan claimed that the first living being to enter the completed Cathedral would be his in Hell. At completion, the builders let in a wolf as first visitor through a small door. Today, this door is known as the Wolf´s Door...and the wolf who gave his life as a sacrifice to Satan (as the legend goes) is imortalized as a bronze sculpture in the main entrance. Recent research has dated the wolf figure to ancient Greece, claiming it to be part of a hunting scene.
Other relics at the Dome (Aachen Cathedral) include: the
Pala d´Oro, a golden altar piece depicting Christ´s Passion;
The Golden Ambo, a pulpit decorated with antique bowls, ivory carvings, chess figures and reliefs of the 4 evangelists; the Shrine of Saint Mary - a large golden box about the size of a child´s casket - which is said to contain: 1. the apparel of the Virgin Mary, 2. the swaddling cloth and loincloth of Jesus, and 3. the decapitation cloth of John the Baptist. Since 1349 A.D. these relics are displayed every 7 years to the public...next display is in 2014; the gold sarcophagus of Charlemagne is also among the treasures.
Luckily, this church wasn´t sacked after the Reformation so that all these treasures are still there for you to see. The American military during WWII recognized the Cathedral´s importance and spared it when they bombed Aachen to liberate it from Nazi control. All the buildings in the immediate surroundings of the Dome were destroyed by aerial bombings...thanks to the good aim of American bombers!
For Men Only
I always enjoy driving on Germany´s
autobahn´s because there is no speed limit. Even though we have never have had a car capable of sustained high speeds on our trips to Europe, it is ever a thrill to be driving at 130km/h (85 mph) in the
slow lane and see cars zinging past us, going 80-100kp/h faster, maybe more. Also, if you like cars, Germany is the place to be to see unusual fast cars such as the Bristol Fighter...
http://www.bristolcars.co.uk/BristolFighter.htm
MG is alive and well and still making sports cars! I see more Corvettes in Germany than I see Porsches (you are never a prophet on home turf...)
For Women Only
Ladies! Why not put some
zing! into your life with this Summer Salad Sensation!
1 bunch radishes
1 onion
50g lamb´s lettuce (a head of Boston will do)
garlic croutons
1 tbsp chives
Carefully remove stalks and green leaves from the radishes and slice radishes thinly. Thinly slice the onion (as to make onion rings). Prepare the lettuce and put into a bowl with the sliced radishes and onions. Add croutons. Pour dressing over.
Dressing:
4 tbsp oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
dash of honey
1 tbsp mustard
salt & pepper
(Dutch recipe)
FL
Hold everything lightly. If you don't, it will hurt when God pries your fingers loose as He takes it from you. -Corrie Ten Boom
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If they had a social gospel in the days of the prodigal son, somebody would have given him a bed and a sandwich and he never would have gone home.
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