To Tame the Saxons

A short history lesson for ya'll this memorial day. What is now Germany and France were at one time part of the Holy Roman Empire led by Charlemagne. He was the first first German (Franken) to be crowned emperor by the pope. His seat of power was Aachen, the city at the three corners of the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. The octagonel cathederal that he built in the 8th century still stands today. But what made Charlemagne incredible in my eyes was that he was able to do what the Romans weren't able to do - he tamed the Saxons and pulled them into the fold. Living with a Saxon I can only say my hat is off to Charlemagne. Keep in mind that these are the same people, led by Herman the German (real name Arminius), that womped the Romans in the battle of the Teutoberger forest (right near where my Saxon grew up..) just a few years after Christ's death. The Romans never did conquer that crowd and never really dared to set foot into the deep dark forests inhabited by those nasty Saxons.

Anyway, check out Aachen, it's worth a real visit or at least a wikipedia visit. Architecture spanning the centuries and many buildings (15% of the original) survived WWII - so there is much to see. The cathederal is the most unique that I have ever seen. The history is amazing. This is where France and Germany were born. The treaty of Verdun after Charlemagne's death saw his empire split up into three, one empire for each son. Eventually this resolved into two -reflecting what is now France and Germany.

I've Crossed Many Oceans

Wow - a big gap since my last post. A lot has happened since then: I've crossed the atlantic 4 more times. Toured the caribbean on a big boat and discovered new areas of the world that were better than I could have ever expected.

It's labor day here in Germany (and the rest of the world - except the US). Made me remember the good old days when the nightly news would show the Russian premier watching the mighty Russian army parade their painted piles of rust through the streets of Moscow. The thought that those scary missles were pointed straight towards our hearts was a sobering thought. But at least the threat could be seen, could be edified. Any of you remember?
Underscoring this flashback are the recent reports in the news here that the boogey man is back. The latest here in Europe is that American interests (and Americans) are being targeted by the un-seen terroristas. Ahh, makes me think back to the late '80s when I was looking under my car every morning to make sure somebody wasn't trying to get me. How silly was that??!!!

But back to May Day: They say you never step in the same river twice. I'm not so sure anymore. Can't you just picture Putin wearing a silly hat and a heavy overcoat reviewing the troops as they march with their painted rust through Red Square? This time around, I'm not bothering to look under my car.