I am in Europe for the Christmas holidays. I stopped in Belgium to visit friends in Leuven and then I traveled by train to Garmisch-Partenkirchen where I will spend Christmas. I thought you would enjoy seeing some of the cities I visited on my trip between Leuven. Belgium and Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany.
This is the Grand Place, the central square of Brussels, Belgium the de facto capitol of Europe. It is surrounded by opulent guildhalls and the city's Town Hall. It is considered one of the most beautiful squares in Europe and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998.
Aachen developed from a Roman settlement and spa. The Cathedral of Aix-la-Chapelle (in the picture) is claimed as one of the oldest cathedrals in Europe and was constructed by order of the Emperor Charlemagne who was buried there after his death in 814. For 595 years, from 936 to 1531, the Palatine Chapel, in the heart of the cathedral, was the church of coronation for thirty-one German kings and twelve queens.
Charlemagne or Charles the Great became the Holy Roman Emperor 800. He has been called the "Father of Europe" as he united most of Western Europe for the first time since the classical era of the Roman Empire. This bust is located in the Treasury Museum at the Cathedral.
During a layover in Cologne, I walked out of the train station and the Cathedral or Dom was literally towering over me. I could not get the entire building in the picture frame. Construction of Cathedral began in 1248 and it is the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe was declared a World Heritage Site in 1996.
This is Marianplatz the central square in Munich, first referenced in documents in 1158. The city was founded by the monks of the Benedictine order, who ran a monastery nearby. The new City Hall or Rathaus is in the center and the twin towers of the Frauenkirche or the Cathedral of Our Dear Lady are to the left.
My final destination was Garmisch-Partenkirchen where I rent a flat in Partenkirchen for the week of Christmas. The city originated as the Roman town of Partanum on the trade route from Venice to Augsburg and is first mentioned in the year A.D. 15. This picture shows Ludwigsstrasse, the main street which follows the original Roman road.