AACHEN / AIX-LA-CHAPELLE, GERMANY, The Capital of Charlemagne

Aachen or Aix-La-Chapelle for the French was once the capital of Charlemagne and boasts a magnificent cathedral and a charming old centre - the venue for the annual Christmas market. Charlemagne came to spend his first Christmas in Aachen in the year of his coronation (768 AD) and liked it so much that he based himself there. When he died, he was buried in the Palatine chapel he built, which is now incorporated in the Imperial cathedral, the oldest cathedral in Northern Europe, where the Kings of Germany were once consecrated.  

Charlemagne, looking a bit bewildered amidst the Christmas partying

 

BRUGES, BELGIUM, a Chocolate-box Town

Bruges is a picturesque oldie worldly town, its Golden age being 12^th – 15^thcentury, it was sometimes referred to (along with Amsterdam) as the Venice of the North. Bruges is now experiencing a revival. Its main reason d’être these days is to cater to bus-loads of British tourists who probably outnumber the locals and to feed them chocolate, judging by the number of chocolate shops in town.

 

 

LONDON

London has changed considerably since the time we lived there. The weather remains the same however and probably it’s better to see the great city in the rain. The panorama from the London Eye is superb and the best way to appreciate the modern urban landscape. The Christmas Market is always a cheerful sight on a cold and wet winter’s day so we were pleased to find it there, along the Thames.