oh my Aachen heart

arrived in aachen on thurday afternoon just a few hours after angie and sarko. the police presence at the station was noticeable but not extravagant and it wasn't until her beaming face appeared on the hotel television that i realized what all the fuss was about. the next day we traveled out to the mountains, marvelling at monschau's slate roofs and masses of wildflowers. i was also thrilled to spy sections of the westwall, pushing out of the green hills like the broken plates and spikes of a long backed stegosaurus. the legendary siegfried line proved no more effective than its french equivalent. the next day we hassled animals at the zoo and took the steam at the carolus thermen, afterwards wandering through the stadtpark and the notorious antoniusstrasse, where young women and men dressed for success make like rapunzel at the window and offer to let down much more than their hair...