THE ROAD TO WEG IN AACHEN GERMANY
March 16, 2025
I’ve traveled a lot, especially in and around Europe, but Aachen, Germany was one place I’d never been. So, when it was announced that this would be the site of the next World Equestrian Games (WEG) I was glad. A new land to learn about makes the journal all the more exciting.
Yet Aachen is not new to horse sports. Show jumping, dressage and driving are the main focus but Aachen also offers horseback riding adventures and more to a welcoming audience. In addition the CHIO Aachen, one of the most prestigious show jumping events in the world, takes place their annually. Both our horses and riders are familiar with the CHIO and welcome the fact that this is horse country whose horse people understand horses and horse sports. As host to WEG 2006, Aachen is definitely the perfect choice.
While being in Aachen was something I was looking forward to the one difficulty is getting there. You can’t get a plane that goes directly to this city. Instead you have to go to either Dusseldorf or Cologne, both about an hour away depending on how you travel. Or you could go to Frankfurt or Brussels. From these locations you can either rent a car or take a taxi or the train, which was the chosen route for me. While I wasn’t looking forward to the extended journey on the one hand, on the other I liked the idea that I’d get to see more of the world because I first went to Charles de Gaulles Airport in France before heading to Dusseldorf to catch the train and forced myself to stay awake in order to watch the scenery as we went from city to city.
My pre trip to Aachen began on March 13th with a 7:30 p.m. departure out of JFK. I arrived at the airport early because on Long Island (where I live) we can take the Long Island Railroad to the Airtran which takes you directly to JFK. Since this was my first time doing this, leaving early just made sense. It was a breeze and I was relaxed and waiting for my flight’s departure by 5:00 p.m. However, while my focus was Aachen I had one pressing assignment to complete before heading off on my journey.
Sadly, a very dear friend had died a week earlier and the world mourned her death along with me. Dana Reeve was someone that anyone who knew her was glad they had met and/or known. She was a shining light in any day. She was Christopher’s angel and she left this world way too early at 44. I’d gotten a call earlier in the day asking for photos and since I’d always had my camera with me when I worked for Chris over a span of eight years, it was a pretty sure thing that I could produce the requested photo. Except there was just one obstacle: the T-mobile internet service at the Delta Terminal just didn’t want to work and hard as I tried it was not meant to happen.
Fortunately, I at least had my blackberry to communicate my woes and had to leave the task unfinished. It’s interesting that years ago we wouldn’t even have fathomed the idea of getting something like that accomplished before the advent of the Internet but nowadays we push the envelope all the time making use of every minute. Our blackberry means we are connected no matter what country we are in (except when flying) and our computers with their internet access have become our offices. And so it is that I’m taking advantage of all that technology to bring my journey to you.
THE JOURNEY TO AACHEN
The journey began with a relaxing flight to Dusseldorf which took 7½ hours and included one meal and a snack. I left at 7:30 p.m. NY time and arrived at 9:00 a.m. European time. The connecting flight was at 10:20 and normally 1½ hours would have seemed like plenty of time but not when you first have to take a 15 minute shuttle to the main terminal (an unusually difficult ride because you had to really reach for the poles which were used to maintain your balance and the added pressure of a driver who tended towards short stops and quick starts either caused us to bump into adjacent passengers or to strain the muscles in our arms in an attempt to maintain our own space and not invade anyone else’s}. Once at the main terminal we had to go through customs, then the security line to get to the departure gate. The difficult part is the newness, not speaking the language and trying to read the signs that tell you where to go. Because of a nice security man who let me go to the head of the class (line I mean), I managed to make it ten minutes before my flight’s departure but I would recommend to anyone that they should give themselves plenty of time to connect. Better to sit a bit waiting for your next flight then to miss it. In fact there was one very belligerent French man who was giving the security people a hard time because he had missed his flight.
That second plane ride was only about an hour but at Dusseldorf I still had to drag my luggage from the plane to the train. To do that you had to take a shuttle to the main terminal which was also home to the RailEurope train. The real challenge was purchasing a ticket. While I’m familiar with Italian and French and do know a little German, I don’t know enough words to be understood and so this very nice non English speaking gentleman tried to help but even that didn’t work (I guess my sign language wasn’t quite clear enough).
What was cool about getting to the RailEurope train tracks was the flat descending escalator. Negotiating the bags down that moving ramp was a breeze. Once inside the train it was time to settle in and observe even though my body desperately wanted to sleep. The early part of the ride was nothing to speak of but once we went over the Rhine river the view became more interesting. What was most fascinating was the graffiti. The artwork at the various train stations was memorable; a novel array of colors and words. In the countryside the homes were small but elegant and many were graced by petite yards which showcased delightful trees and other homey settings.
Once in Aachen I solved the no ticket problem and then headed for a taxi. A short 5 Euro ride later and I was deposited at my home for the next few days. The name was familiar; it was a Best Western. A quick check in and I was soon in a mixed living room/bedroom/mini kitchen adjacent to a roomy bathroom. It was a cut above the Best Westerns I recall from when I stayed at them in the U.S.
By this time it was 3:00 p.m. Aachen time (which is six hours later than NY time) and I could barely keep my eyes open and much as I tried to listen to my inner voice that said stay awake until 8:00 or 9:00 I soon was lying down drifting off to sleep.
At 1:00 a.m. wide awake it was time to plunge into learning about the city I would soon be visiting and finish writing about my first day’s journey, with a backdrop of some German TV to set the tone for the true tale I now am telling you.
LEARNING ABOUT AACHEN AND WHAT IT HAS TO OFFER
I’ve always had a passion for international travel and it’s because of the history. To go to a country whose lifetime spans numerous centuries and beyond allows the imagination to go wild. I enjoy envisioning what life was like in a time when massive sculptures were done by hand and architectural wonders took centuries to design. I picture these wonderful artists chiseling away on a project that took them a lifetime to produce. Their lives were filled with making the legacy that we now can appreciate and that is an art that we shall never see done that same way again. I’ve spent time in Italy and have fascinated at the works of Michelangelo. In France the Louvre is worth every minute and in Hungary there are magnificent castles that you can ride to. I saw the massive architectural designs in Cuba at the 1991 Pan American Games. The wine galleries in Spain had left their impression as well at the previous WEG in Jerez. And so now it was time to find out what Aachen has to offer in the way of art and history but also to learn about the people who are the heart and soul of this town.
Aachen is so close to Belgium and The Netherlands that in a short drive you can cross either border. In fact, WEG visitors are not only staying in Germany but also in the those adjacent countries.Aachen’s history spans some 2000 years. It is a City with the old and the new mixed together and at its center is the former Palace Chapel of Charlemagne. Also right in the center of town are the Cathedral and the Town Hall, which both date back to 800 AD. While reading through some of the literature provided to me by Mareike Oer from the NY office of the German Tourist Board, there was one sentence that stuck with me and it went as follows: “…visitors can enjoy the precious treasures and artifacts that bear witness to the long history of the medieval Aachen as the city of the coronations of the German Kings.” That sentence made me think of town squares with the King speaking to the people from a balcony or some readily visible vantage point. I thought of jousting and the fair maiden offering a token scarf to bring the Knight luck as the game ensued. Now we only see such things as purely entertainment but in that day and age it was a sport of the highest kind.
Aachen’s history spans some 2000 years. It is a City with the old and the new mixed together and at its center is the former Palace Chapel of Charlemagne. Also right in the center of town are the Cathedral and the Town Hall, which both date back to 800 AD. While reading through some of the literature provided to me by Mareike Oer from the NY office of the German Tourist Board, there was one sentence that stuck with me and it went as follows: “…visitors can enjoy the precious treasures and artifacts that bear witness to the long history of the medieval Aachen as the city of the coronations of the German Kings.” That sentence made me think of town squares with the King speaking to the people from a balcony or some readily visible vantage point. I thought of jousting and the fair maiden offering a token scarf to bring the Knight luck as the game ensued. Now we only see such things as purely entertainment but in that day and age it was a sport of the highest kind.While reading through some of the literature provided to me by Mareike Oer from the NY office of the German Tourist Board, there was one sentence that stuck with me and it went as follows: “…visitors can enjoy the precious treasures and artifacts that bear witness to the long history of the medieval Aachen as the city of the coronations of the German Kings.” That sentence made me think of town squares with the King speaking to the people from a balcony or some readily visible vantage point. I thought of jousting and the fair maiden offering a token scarf to bring the Knight luck as the game ensued. Now we only see such things as purely entertainment but in that day and age it was a sport of the highest kind.I would later learn from my tour guide Uschi Rietfort that a stroll through Aachen would “bring you to both modern and medieval,” and while you on the one hand appreciate the historical aspects of the city, there is a lot of modern mixed in. There are also plenty of restaurants to taste the delectable German treats in between your shopping spree. Rietfort, Katrin Becker (from Aachen Tourist Service) and I enjoyed a typical German meal at Alt Aachener Kaffee van den Daele, which also had a variety of Printen, which is what Aachen’s world famous gingerbread type cookies are called.
A stroll through town will also bring you past fountains and sculptures of all kinds. And each fountain has its own story to tell, such as the Bahkauv Fountain which is based on a monster by the same name which translated in local dialect means river calf. The calf was supposed to have haunted drunken men at night. This large calf with a scaly coat and razor sharp teeth is said to have terrified drunkards on their way home and caused them to have hangovers the next day. The Birds or Sparrow Fountain has sparrows resting quietly and there is a button one can push to see water flow out of a large ball.
Aachen is home to one of the largest international art collections known as the Ludwig Foundation. You can wander from museum to museum witnessing such treasures as the Bust of Charlemagne (Cathedral Treasury) from the 15th century to baroque home décor (Couven-Museum) to a collection of first edition newpapers (International Newspaper Museum).
Aachen offers theatre as well as symphony with over 300 operas, plays and more each year. And wandering around the streets you will see some of the 38,000 students who attend one of the many city colleges. Most notable among these is the Rhineland-Westphalia Technical University, known for its high technology focus.
One of my plans upon arriving in town was to find out more about the hot thermal springs which the town has been famous for since Roman times as they are said to be known for their rheumatic cures.
“The water is hot – up to 74 degrees Celsius – or 160 degrees Fahrenheit,” explained Werner Schlösser who is with the Aachen Tourist Service but also oversees the lastest spa known as Carolus Thermen, which opened their doors five years ago. Schlösser went on to say that “the water has a lot of sulphur in it and a lot of minerals. It is very old – about 10,000 years old and there is about 30,000 litres an hour coming from the springs. It is often used for medical purposes, for instance, if you have rheumatism or problems with bones or muscles or with your skin.” Carolus Thermen has ten different pools and 14 saunas and steam baths and more than 1000 guests go there each day and even more around the holidays. Their peak time is between Christmas and New Years.
Schlösser added that “most visit Aachen first because of the Cathedral - and the fact that this is Charlemagne’s city - where more than one million visitors go each year.” But then it is the curative spa waters that also attract them to this quaint town.
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST (drum roll please) – THE HORSES!
Also high on the list are its horses. And like Wellington is to Florida, so Aachen is to Germany, boasting a flood of horse enthusiasts and a horsey influence throughout the town in its many horse sculptures. Its major horse show is the CHIO Aachen and it happens each year in August and attracts some 300,000 visitors.
“The City of Aachen is used to tournaments like this,” explains Schlösser. “It is much larger, more international, longer but not quite new.”
Renate Fassbender who is in charge of marketing Aachen focuses on all of the above to attract people to this wonderful city. Now she spends a lot of time using WEG 2006 as a reason for encouraging more newcomers to visit her town. For WEG, Fassbender is also working on bringing Aachen to the sport enthusiasts. “Every evening there will be special performances,” she explained. “They can go from the sport program to the town. There will be one late night of shopping where the stores are open until midnight. There will also be exhibitions in the museums and open air concerts.” Fassbender has also worked on getting signage for the Games around town. You’ll see these signs in hotels, on buses, at train and bus stops and any other place where signs can be posted.
And Aachen is ready for these Games. The horse show facilities are of the highest caliber and the City is ready to entertain the many guests throughout the Games which begin on August 21 with endurance, vaulting, dressage and eventing taking place the first week. The second week continues with show jumping, driving and reining and the final show jumping event is showcased in the main Stadium on September 3. After that the competitors are invited to ride or drive through town to a welcoming crowd who will be waving white handkerchiefs in their honor.
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