Köln-Düsseldorfer (KD) offers many day-trip sightseeing pleasure cruises on the Rhine during the advent and Christmas market period. Special New Year’s Eve party boats also sail from Cologne (Köln). In 2020, Christmas market period cruises as well as as some New Year's Eve dinner cruises are likely to operate. Book early as numbers will be more limited than … [Read more...]
Christmas Market and New Year’s Eve Rhine Boats from Düsseldorf
KD Rhine River boats cruise from Düsseldorf on sightseeing, dinner, and party excursions during the Christmas market period and on New Year’s Eve. More departures are possible from nearby Cologne. Köln-Düsseldorfer (KD) offers sightseeing pleasure cruises on the Rhine River from Düsseldorf during the Christmas market period. These cruises, often with live music, last from … [Read more...]
Winter Day-Trip Pleasure Boat Cruises on the Rhine River in Germany
During winter, pleasure boat cruises and sightseeing excursions on the Rhine River are limited but still possible. The best options are during the Christmas market period or all winter from Rüdesheim, St Goar, and Cologne. Pleasure boat day-trip cruises on the Rhine River in Germany are very popular year-round. During winter, the Rhine Valley can be hauntingly beautiful … [Read more...]
Visit Aachen Cathedral to See Charlemagne’s Throne and Shrine
The imperial throne and tomb of Charlemagne in a gilded shrine are top attractions to see in the Carolingian Aachener Dom in Germany. Aachen Cathedral (Aachener Dom) is one of the most famous and most interesting historic buildings in Germany. It was originally the palatine chapel of Charlemagne and for almost six centuries the church where German kings were crowned. Much … [Read more...]
Interior of Aachen Cathedral
Aachen Cathedral blends original Carolingian elements with later mostly Gothic decorations and additions as well as modern Byzantine-style mosaics. Aachen Cathedral is one of the shiniest cathedrals in Germany. The interior shows an unusual amount of gold while the Byzantine-style mosaics add color and bling to what is in part a fairly dark building. The core of the cathedral … [Read more...]
The Building and Exterior of Aachen Cathedral
Aachen Cathedral’s core was built by Charlemagne but later additions enlarged the palatine chapel that became the coronation church of German kings. Aachen Cathedral (Aachener Dom) in western Germany is one of the oldest continuously in use buildings in Germany. The octagonal core of the church was built by Charlemagne as a Mary chapel attached to his palace in Aix-la-Chapelle … [Read more...]
See the Gothic Choir of Aachen Cathedral
The choir of the Aachener Dom contains the shrine of Charlemagne, further relics, and magnificent Ottonian and Romanesque art. The magnificent choir area of the Aachen Cathedral in western Germany has the remains of Charlemagne (Karl der Grosse / Charles the Great) in a large gilded early 13th-century shrine (Karlsschrein). The Mary shrine (Marienschrein) from the same era is … [Read more...]
See the Aachen Cathedral Treasury in Germany
The Aachener Domschatz is one of the most important treasuries in Europe with art related to Charlemagne, German royal coronations, liturgy, and relics. The Aachen Cathedral Treasury (Aachener Domschattz) is one of the largest and most important treasuries of medieval Christian artworks in Europe. The treasury has over a hundred works that are exhibited in a large museum … [Read more...]
Relax in the Carolus Therme Hot Water Day Spa in Aachen
The Carolus Therme in Aachen is a large baby-free day spa with several warm water thermal pools, saunas, massages, and beauty treatments. NOTE: The Carolus Therme is currently closed and unlikely to reopen before 2021. The Carolus Therme is a large, modern-day spa in the German city Aachen. The main draws are the variety of warm water thermal baths and the sauna … [Read more...]
Visit the Christmas Market (Weihnachtsmarkt) in Aachen, Germany
Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle) has a lovely historic old town that provides the perfect backdrop to the German Christmas market (Weihnachtsmarkt) closest to Britain, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle) in Germany has a lively Christmas market (Aachener Weihnachtsmarkt) that is popular with German and foreign visitors. Aachen is the westernmost city in Germany … [Read more...]
Visit the Hermannsdenkmal with Arminius Statue in the Teutoburg Forest
Arminius on the Hermannsdenkmal is the largest sculpture in Germany. It commemorates the victory of Germanic tribes over the Romans in AD9 in the Teutoburg Forest. The 19th-century Hermannsdenkmal (Arminius Memorial) is a large bronze statue of Germanic leader Arminius mounted on a columned pedestal on top of a hill in the Teutoburg Forest near Detmold in the northern … [Read more...]
Visit the Externsteine Sandstone Rocks in the Teutoburg Forest in Germany
The sandstone rock ridge of the Externsteine, often associated with the Saxon pagan irminsul, is a top sight to see in the Teutoburg Forest in Germany. The Externsteine is a row of large rock formations in the Teutoburger Wald near Detmold in the Lippe district of North-Rhine Westphalia. They are particularly noteworthy as there are few other large rocks in this part of … [Read more...]