Aachen shopping

Friday, 1 July

We had a day to ourselves as K and G were out for the day. We walked into town and it started raining. While we browsed in various shops it cleared up. We did some clothes shopping. In one shop called H & M the shop assistants (or one in particular) seemed very unpleasant. There was a certain queue you had to be in, it seemed. I made the mistake of queueing in the wrong one and next thing it’s “Hallo! Hallo! Herunter!” gesticulating at me wildly as if I’d tried to nick something.

I was fascinated by some one-man hotdog sellers who carried them around and set up anywhere by supporting the ‘servery’ on a pole. There was also someone cycling around on a small bicycle contraption with storage for cold drinks on the back and giving them out free.

We looked at music shops. I bought two more CDs – Tanzwut and Corvus Corax. We had lunch in a backerei but Chloe insisted on having McDonalds – omg. Junkfood freak.

Later we had coffee in shop near Elisebrunnen (above) a neo-classical building housing a hot-water spring – Aachen being a spa town.

We walked back about 5-ish. We saw a red squirrel on our way home – first time the girls had ever seen one – either wild or in captivity.

G was home. We ate pizza for dinner then caught a bus back into town to listen to Joe Cocker who was singing near the Dom.

"1. Juli 2005
Joe CockerSupport: Todd Sharpville Band
Beginn: 19.30 Uhr"
http://www.aachen.de/DE/stadt_buerger/aachen_profil/
bedeutende_ereignisse/kultursommer/info/katschhof_05.html

There was a cold wind but after a beer we stood nearby and listened and people-watched. I recognized several songs. Pity we couldn’t get a glimpse of him. I gazed at the others standing around us doing the same thing. All Germans by the looks of it. I marvelled at how there was not one fat or ugly German. They were all good-looking, sophisticated and intelligent looking. A far far cry from the average New Zealand crowd.

After a few songs we wandered around inner Aachen, up past a student hangout (Pontstrasse) to the old city gate, then caught the bus back home.

Checked email. Nothing.