I have always wanted to see the cathedral at Aachen. It was the seat of power for Charlemagne, nicknamed “The Father of Europe”. I had spoken about wanting to go for a few weeks when a work friend offered to drive with me to see everything in a day. I said yes, of course, and hopped in the car with him the next day.

Upon arriving in Aachen we decided to grab food, and just happen to visit a restaurant from the 14th Century. It had acted as an inn for pilgrims on their way to see the cathedral. A fitting start to our own pilgrimage.

Similar to many other cathedrals in Europe, it is absolutely stunning inside, with frescos dating back hundreds of years! Although relatively small for a place so central for the Holy Roman Empire, the ceiling is painted in gold with Barbarossa’s Chandelier handing over the center. Emperor Barbarossa had it built sometime around 1165 AD. It is shaped to represent to the 12 gates of Jerusalem. I wonder how pilgrims felt as they stared up in awe at it?

After a short walk through the cathedral, we found out the last tour of the day was about to start. So we quickly ran over to join up with the group. We were warned that the tour would be all in German, but the group was small enough that our tour guide was able to give us time to ask questions in English and hear some of the extra history. The tour is absolutely a necessity if you want to see some of the more interesting parts of the Cathedral. It was completely worth to be able to see the reliquary that houses several very important Catholic relics-including the loin cloth of Jesus-which are only brought out every seven years during the Aachen Pilgrimage. The pilgrimage was suppose to happen in 2021, however it will actually be held this year in July so my wife and I may actually be able to be a part of it. Taking the tour also meant that we were allowed upstairs to see the actual throne of Charlamagne.** It is a simple stone seat but to think about the age of the stone and what has happened in the past 1200 years around this chair is incredible to me. One interesting thing to note though is the position of the throne within the Cathedral. It’s framed by two roman pillars overlooking the interior, with a golden fresco of Jesus looking down onto the throne. There is also a hidden mouse painted into the wall next to it, showing that the king must serve even the mice of the kingdom.

Once the tour was over, we started to head home when we realized there was actually a whole separate building nearby where the Relics of Charlemagne lay. There is literally a golden bust of the original Holy Roman Emperor that houses his skull (pretty metal) as well as many other artifacts related to him and the later emperors. If you’re interested in history, or even the origin of Europe as we know it today, I highly recommend checking out Aachen. It would be a very easy train stop for a few hours between other destinations.

After all the excitement though, I was just excited to head home and cuddle with my cat, Mithrandir.

**Historical Geek Out Moment From William: This throne dates back to the time of Charlemagne, around 790, and was used up until 1531 as the coronation throne for the Holy Roman Emperors. Napoleon considered using it for his coronation but opted for the more grandiose Notre Dame. If you have any questions about the history of the throne or Aachen itself, let us know! William would love to geek out more on the area.