Day 5: 3 countries, 1 day

Tuesday was a day full of sightseeing and adventure. The original plan was to take the train to Brussels on Tuesday and spend the next five nights in Belgium's capital. However, the train employees planned a one-day strike for Tuesday, so our plans were delayed by one day. How lucky we were that was the case!

Gloria's host father, Philippe, took the day off of work and spent it carting his four American visitors around three different countries. We did so much and I took incomplete notes of where we were, so please excuse any mistakes! Also, I wasn't always very good at taking pictures -- we were busy after all!

We started the day with a hearty breakfast at home and then loaded into the car, taking the scenic route. We stopped in an ancient Belgian village for a quick walk around. Philippe and Claudine are friends with a man who lives in a historic house in that village and we were hoping to catch him home for a quick tour. Unfortunately, he was out, so we had to satisfy ourselves by looking in his windows!

Claire really wanted to see a castle, so Philippe took us to an old castle that is now part of a park. The castle is not open to the public; it has been transformed into dormitories where school groups stay on field trips. The building has a sordid history as it was taken over by the Nazis where unspeakable things happened. It was serene and peaceful on the day of our visit.
Walking the grounds, we saw many different types of trees, flowers, wildlife, and plants. In this tree, you can see a couple of birds perching.
Then, we stopped by an American cemetery filled with the bodies of soldiers who gave their lives during WWII. It was quite moving. The plaque outside said about 8,000 soldiers were buried there. Hearing the number is one thing, but seeing the seemingly endless graves really put it in perspective.
We drove around looking for the Three Frontiers, which is the location where Belgium, Germany, and The Netherlands meet. While trying to make our way to Aachen, we found ourselves in a Dutch traffic jam. Philippe was able to maneuver us out of there, so this detour only added maybe 20 minutes to our journey.

We parked in a garage in Aachen, Germany, and walked towards the cathedral. Despite living so close, Philippe had never visited before. They later explained that until recently, many Belgians felt uncomfortable visiting Germany because of its recent history. Brian and I really wanted to visit this cathedral, partly because Bill Bryson, in his book Neither Here Nor There describes it as one of the most beautiful in the world. I didn't take any pictures of the interior, but it certainly was breathtaking!

Some outside shots:
Here is Brian doing some window shopping in the streets near the cathedral:We ate lunch in this charming cafe. Most of us ordered sandwiches. We ate typical pastries from Aachen for dessert called Printens.We drove to a typical German village -- I can't remember its name right now but will add it in if anyone else remembers.

I love this view of the houses along the canal:Gloria was trying to use the telescope on the bridge. However, it was broken.More houses:This bridge had fish decorations hanging from it:The ruins of a lookout tower watch this village:We decided to climb up for a closer look:Views of the village along the route:Back in the village, Philippe stopped in a bakery to buy some German bread (that's me posing in front of the bakery!). Apparently it is impossible to find this same type and quality of bread in Belgium:Here's everyone else taking a rest and trying to decide where to go next while admiring the canal:Like many European villages, the streets are ridiculously tiny. I have no idea how there aren't more accidents!We made a few more stops, with dozing in the car along the way. We stopped in a small Belgian town that is often used in movies because of its well-preserved look. Philippe and Claudine had been movie extras in that town at one point and showed us pictures of their acting debut when we returned to the house.

We also stopped and did some hiking along a beautiful trail. Eastern Belgium is so incredibly beautiful!

We returned home, exhausted yet again. We had some beer and appetizers on the patio, and then went inside for dinner. Extraordinary delicious, yet again. Here is the family gathered around the dinner table. We retired after midnight again. We were having such nice conversation that no one wanted to go to bed!