Weekend Excursions - First month in Europe Posted on: 5th October 2016 :: Photo Credits: Silva, Prayaag, Gaurav, Sagar, Pabitra, Manish, Alap, Kavitha ::
Preface
Travelogue of weekend excursions taken during first month of exchange semester at RWTH Aachen, Germany (September 2016-17)
Continued from: Weekend 1, Drielandenpunt (Three Country Point)
Weekend : 2
Location: Aachen (Germany) and Vaals (Netherlands)
All of us had settled in our 'new' homes and were itching to explore the Aachen city. We read online about an ISKCON temple in Aachen and decided to start our weekend by visiting it (to get some authentic Indian free food :P). After 'misreading' the route on google maps and wandering in the city for more than two hours, we finally managed to reach the desired location. But there was no sign of ISCKON temple (or any temple for that matter)!
Also, none of the eateries were open in that part of the town. The nearest ones were in Vaals (Aachen's neighbouring town in Netherlands). Pabitra’s grumpy face perfectly depicts our mood at that time! Cursing our luck, we decided to go to Vaals for having lunch.
After a short bus ride, we reached the market area in Vaals. It was a bit crowded as the locals were enjoying their Sunday brunch in the eateries.
Unfortunately, the eateries in Vaals were out of our budget. So, we decided to buy some packaged snacks from a grocery store (named ‘Big Bazar’ which reminded us of Indian Big Bazaar!). We found a beautiful garden to 'sit back, relax and enjoy' perfect desi-picnic. After the hunger subsided and Redbull kicked in, we started exploring that area. It was a nice park with a small pond, colorful trees and breathtaking views of the hills and forests around Vaals.
The main square in the market was a delightful sight as well!
We spent some time window-shopping in the market and then headed back to Aachen. This wonderful short picnic to Vaals made us forget the awful start of the day. A happy ending indeed!
