Dag 55: "AA" Trip

Saturday, October 15, 2011: Vaals, Netherlands and Aachen Germany

What do Vaals, Netherlands and Aachen, Germany have in common?

Besides the "AA" thing, these are two cities within an hour bus ride of Maastricht that I visited this weekend. After shamelessly sleeping in, I had a healthy, Dutch breakfast of hagelslag and koffie met kaneel before boarding bus lijn 50 naar Aachen. Please excuse the Dutch - I'm practicing!

The bus took me through the countryside of Zuid Limburg (that is South Limburg, the province in which Maastricht lies). What a lovely region! I admired the Dutch cows (some even had white patches...or are they black patches?) and read a bit of my novel during the journey. After 45-minutes on the bus, I disembarked in Vaals, Netherlands. The bus pulled away from the stop, and I found myself facing the VVV (that is, the Dutch tourist information center...they have them in all cities in the Netherlands). I promptly crossed the roundabout and entered the VVV. I bought my usual postcard and asked the kind Dutch women at the counter if she could point me in the direction of the Drielandenpunt.

Okay, enough with the Dutch. I will explain (in English, okay mostly English!) the Drielandenpunt. Although there is some discrepancy to the exact count, there are 157 "tripoints" internationally. What is a tripoint? A geographical area where the borders of three countries meet (and I cite Wikipedia....). So, due to my proximity to this semi-rare phenomenon, I decided  to visit!

Also known as the Vaalserberg in Dutch (due to its location in Vaals, Netherlands), the Drielandenpunt marks the point where Germany, Belgium and Netherlands converge. Interestingly, the route leading to the Drielandenpunt is called Viergrenzenweg (four borders road) in Dutch. Wait, what is country number four? Huh? Formerly, the Drielandenpunt was a quadripoint! The former neutral territory, Moresnet, also included this point from the period 1830-1919. What a cool history...I want one too!

So back to my trip, yes. I took a leisurely stroll from  the VVV through the main street of Vaals (stopping in Action and HEMA for my Dutch shopping fix) to the hill leading to the Drielandenpunt. Along the way, I passed some lovely sites. Dutch countryside, homes and churches filled this lovely 20-minute walk to the top of the hill. Although I was not quite dressed for the miniature hike I took, I was sure to appreciate the nature that surrounded me on my ascent.

Reaching the top, I  purchased a coin that allowed me to climb some ten flights of stairs to the top of the Wilhemina Tower to view the gorgeous, panoramic view of the three countries at once. Well worth the climb!

After descending the tower, I walked to the actual Drielandenpunt, which sadly was "under construction". Bummer. I really wanted to "stand in three countries at once". Next time! But - I got to stand at the highest point in the Netherlands - 322.7 meters. Cool.

With my "coolness factor" satisfied, I descended the hill and headed back into town. Shortly thereafter, I boarded the bus, again direction Aachen. Fifteen minutes later, I was in another country!

Since Berlin is the only German city I have taken any time to see in my European adventures, I thought Aachen would make a nice day trip. A mere 18 miles down the road, Aachen lies just over the Dutch- German border. Seriously, people in Vaals do their shopping there, because shampoo, beer, etc. is so much cheaper in Germany!


I got off the bus and meandered my way into the city center. A little research before my trip guided my visit to Aachen. First, websites and blogs had recommended the Aachener Printen - a kind of gingerbread cookie - to try while in Aachen. I quickly found one of many bakeries selling this renown goody and picked up a small bag (zakje!) of my own. Yum!

Next, I came to the main square in the city where the Elisenbrunnen, the current tourist information center and architectural masterpiece. I admired the scene - all kinds of people sitting out across the lawn, admiring the splendor of the city, licking ice cream cones, and conversing with one another in a plethora of languages. Cool indeed.

I made my way around the square and ran into, you guessed it, the Aachen Chocolate Company! As part of my ChocoCo pilgrimage, I had to take a peak inside! I planned on getting a Hotchocospoon, but the crowd inside and out, plus lack of available seating deterred my interest. Instead, I entered the store next door which appeard to be selling some kind of paper things. Wait, it was more than just paper - it was a real, honest-to-god scrapbooking store! No way....yes way!
I walked through the store, somehow managing not to buy anything (primarily due to the fact that everything cost about 4 x's more than in the states - conversion rate not factored in!). It was nice to see all of the stickers, the paper, the embellishments...made me miss all of my scrapbooking goodies I have left behind at home.

Leaving the store, I walked across the street to what appeared to be a mall. Entering, I realized it was a massive bookstore. I mean bigger than Books-A-Million massive. This store had five floors of books, books and more books! I walked around for a bit until my eyes hurt from looking at so many shiny new book covers. I decided to nestle myself in one of the small niches the store had for browsers to read. I then quietly read an article for one of my classes. Satisfied with myself, I left the bookstore and headed back outside to explore a bit more of Aachen.

I made my way around the shops, cafes, Dom (Cathedral) and much much more. I almost fell over when I came across a Starbucks...something I had not seen in over two months! I had no idea Aachen has one! I considered standing in line to get one of their fall coffee specials, but changed my mind when I saw the huge line breaching the doorway. I decided to save my five euros and go the the small German supermarket a few stores down and buy a snack.

While munching on my light afternoon snack, I continued my self-guided tour through the city, observing more architecture, tourists and crazy drivers. Exhausted from all of the walking (and the ballerina flats I had decided to wear), I began to look for the bus stop I had gotten off at a few hours before. After an hour of wandering, I managed too find my way back, just in time to wait 15 minutes for the next bus.

When I finally boarded the bus, I had a bit of a hassle with the bus driver who told me that I had already used both rides on my ticket (apparently, it does not allow you the flexibility to get off along the way and re-board...you are supposed to go one way there and one way back...oops!). I pulled the 'dumb American' card and he let me on the bus without too much trouble.

An hour later, I was back in Maastricht, warm and cozy in our humble abode on Onder de Kerk. Aachen was such a beautiful city, and well worth the visit. I will be sure to go back in December for the famous Christmasmarkt. And to see the city in the snow!