Bonn

Bonn (28.4.2012)
When this friendly, relaxed city on the Rhine became West Germany's 'temporary' capital in 1949 it surprised many, including its own residents. When in 1991 a reunited German government decided to move to Berlin, it shocked many, especially its own residents.
Bonn ist the birthplace of Ludwig van Beethoven. Beethoven's birth place is located in Bonngasse near the market place. Next to the market place is the Old Town Hall, built in 1737 in Rococo style, under the rule of Clemens August of Bavaria. It is used for receptions of guests of the town, and as an office for the mayor. Nearby is the Kurfürstliches Schloss, built as a residence for the prince-elector and now the main building of the University of Bonn. The Beethoven Monument stands on the Münsterplatz, which is flanked by the Bonn Münster, one of Germany's oldest churches.

 Beethoven Monument

 Historic Town Hall 

 Münster

 Rhine River

 Hofgarten (Court Garden) with Kurfürstliches Schloss (Electoral Prince's Castle), which serves as the main building of the University of Bonn. 

 Refreshing water in the fountain for our tired feet XD

Aachen

Aachen (28.4.2012)
The Romans nursed their war wounds and stiff joints in the steaming waters of Aachen's mineral springs, but it was Charlemagne who put the city firmly on the European map. Today, Aachen is still a quintessentially interantional city, not in the least because of its location in the border triangle with the Netherlands and Belgium.
Charlemagne's legacy lives on the stunning Dom, which, in 1978, became Germany's first Unesco World Heritage Site.
Aachen is also the birthplace of the famous Printen, crunchy spiced cookies spiked with herbs or nuts and drenched in chocolate or frosting :)

 Charlemagne

 Dom

 Rathaus

 Carolus-Thermen

Printen