Aachen Christmas Market

Sunday November 30, 2014

We drove an hour away to Aachen, Germany this afternoon for Brooklyn’s first trip out of the country. We parked at a garage near the center. We walked over to a German restaurant, Zum wehrhaften Schmied, for an early dinner and to have somewhere warm to nurse the baby. The saucy meat and potatoes were delicious.

Aachen was the favored residence of Charlemagne and Germany’s westernmost city.

We bundled up Brooklyn in her carseat on the stroller and hit the streets. 

Aaachen City Hall dates from 1330. 

It lies between two places with markets, the Markt (market place) and Katschhof which lies between City Hall and the Cathedral. 

We first walked the Markt. 

Soon Brooklyn was asleep as we moved the stroller along the cobblestone pavers through the crowd. 

Even though we just ate, we had to get a bratwurst 

Aachen Christmas Market from the City Hall entrance stoop 

Giant gingerbread man by City Hall in Katschhof 

The Aachen Christmas Market boasts around 1.5 million visitors every year from the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and the UK.

We had a great time here even though it was crowded. 

We bought 2 Christmas ornaments to commemorate Brooklyn's first trip another country. We got a lasercut image of the Aachen Cathedral and a nutcracker.

Brooklyn woke back up again but was still very content. 

Aachen Cathedral was constructed on orders from Charlemagne in AD 796. It was the largest cathedral north of the Alps. It was modeled after the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy. Charlemagne’s remains can be seen here to this day. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

Lastly we walked through the Christmas market at Munsterplatz. Jackie took one last photo of the Aachen Cathedral from the roof deck of the parking garage. 

Another trip to Germany means another day laughing at the German word Ausfahrt and looking for a good sign to take a photograph next to. This blur as we exited the parking garage was the best we could get this time.