Monschau

Wednesday, 29 June

After going to the bank, bro drove us to a village called Monschau in a wooded valley in the Eifel region. The drive there was idyllic with green-leafed trees overhanging the winding, hilly roads. When we parked, I wondered what was so special about the place because all we could see was a nondescript building beside the carpark. But then we started walking deeper into the valley and the street got narrower. The narrow, cobbled streets with half-timbered houses were delightful.


We wandered around, admiring the architecture, then stopped at a bar for a coffee and apfelstrudel. We wandered up a hill towards Monschau Castle, thought to have been built in the thirteenth century. (More about the castle and Monschau at http://www.monschau.de/tourist-information/sehenswertes.php?from=5). We then descended the many steps down the hill and headed back to the car.

We returned to Aachen via Belgium, through a town called Eupen. The road there was very potholed, although it was attractive – a straight avenue with trees on either side. Belgium, from what we saw, was not much to speak of. There were fewer trees and it looked more like New Zealand in summer (it reminded me of the road to New Plymouth from Palmerston North). Part of Belgium had once been Germany and there were signposts on which someone had spraypainted out the French placenames and written in the German equivalent. My bro told me, while travelling the bumpy road that the government ignored such roads while placing streetlights every 50 metres on motorways. (I thought he was joking but I soon saw the idiocy on another trip.) We stopped and bought some Belgian beer and chocolate (and Belgian chocolate is divine!) On our return I sent off some more emails.

Watched soccer and Brazil beat Argentina in FIFA.