Bryce & Damon in Europe
by Pertinax Carrus
Chapter 11, Aachen and Cologne
On the Road
On the morning of Wednesday, June 23, Bryce and Damon departed Paris, headed in a generally northeasterly direction. This day they would travel over 260 miles to the German city of Aachen, passing through northeastern France and Belgium along the way. By lunch time they were at the Belgian frontier, the city of Valenciennes. There they paused for lunch, and crossed the border into Belgium. Their itinerary did not provide for a stay in Belgium, so they continued on across Belgium to the city of Liège, in the eastern part of the country. Although they would not stay in Liège, they did stop to take in a few major attractions. For centuries, until the French occupation in 1794, Liège was part of a Prince-Bishopric, a polity peculiar to the Holy Roman Empire, of which it was a part, in which the bishop of the land was also the prince. During the later Middle Ages, the citizens of Liège revolted, and established the most democratic regime in the Netherlands, which persisted until 1794, but still acknowledging the princely authority of the bishops. The first bishop of Liège was St. Lambert, who lived in the eighth century. His successor, St. Hubert, began the cathedral, which persisted until it was destroyed by the invading French. As occupied territory then as part of France, Liège was part of Revolutionary and Napoleonic France until 1815, then of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands until 1830, when it joined with the other southern provinces to form Belgium.
Liège has been an industrial town throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, with a strong socialist base. It was the scene of many labor disputes and working class uprisings during this time. In World War I the fortress at Liège held out against the invading Germans for twelve days, which seriously undermined their timetable of conquest under the modified Schlieffen Plan. Liège was also the scene of a major confrontation during World War II. During the Nazi occupation from 1940 to 1944, most local Jews survived by being hidden in local churches and monasteries. The stop in Liège would be the last Francophone location for the traveling duo on their way to Aachen. It was another 40 miles to their destination.
Aachen
Aachen is the westernmost city in Germany, right on the borders with Belgium and the Netherlands. In French, and to some extent in English, it is known as Aix-la-Chapelle. The Aix part comes from the Latin Aquae, or waters, indicating its role as a spa. The Chapelle refers to Charlemagne’s chapel, now part of the cathedral of Aachen. Prior to the time of Charlemagne, or Karl der Große in German, Aachen was virtually unknown, but it became his favorite residence, spending the winters there every year for the last twenty some years of his life. In Aachen Charlemagne crowned his only surviving legitimate son, Louis, as his successor, establishing a precedent which would be followed for centuries. He had constructed there the octagonal chapel, which forms the central part of Aachen Cathedral today, using columns imported from Ravenna in Italy to give it a Roman aspect. In his day, all that was civilized and important was identified with Rome. Charlemagne died at Aachen in early 814, and was buried there, where his tomb is still present in the cathedral.
Bryce was driving as they entered the city in the late afternoon. He located their hotel, which was another in the Mercure chain, the Mercure Hotel Aachen-am-Dom, meaning it was near the cathedral, actually on Peterstraße, or Peter Street. Here they checked in, finding as they did in other Mercure hotels that WiFi connections were readily available in the room. Bryce sent e-mails to his family and a few select friends, like Curtis Manning and Mike Sandoval, on a regular basis. Leaving the hotel, they went to the Rose-am-Dom restaurant for their evening meal. Following the recommendations of the reception clerk at the hotel, Bryce had called immediately upon checking in for reservations, which proved to be a good move, as the place was crowded. Located about thirty feet from the entrance to the cathedral (Dom), the address was Kleiner Münsterplatz because until recently (1931) the church was a minster, i.e., a simple collegiate church rather than a cathedral. There Bryce and Damon both chose Schnitzel with mushrooms, washed down with the local beer. Just about every town in Germany has its own brewery, and is proud of the local product. They were able to be seated on the terrace, which was delightful in June.
After their very satisfying meal of traditional German offerings, the two young men decided to continue on to the northwestern part of town. There the Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule, a German equivalent of the French école polytechnique, was founded in 1870, and is now considered one of the best schools for engineering, science, and computer studies. With nearly 36,000 students, there had to be some interesting places to pass the evening.
They found that the Pontstraße, which runs from the Market Place to the old city walls at Ponttor (Pont Gate) was the primary location for student clubs and bars, and so concentrated on that area. They ended up at a place called Sowiso/Oceans located not far from the Ponttor, where they fell into conversations with a student named Reinhard Weidner. He proved to be a very interesting young man, who was himself interested in America. He was disappointed to find that Bryce was majoring in history and Damon in political science, but when they talked about some of their friends back in Clifton who were in more scientific and technical subjects he perked up. Reinhard wanted a correspondent in the United States, so Bryce supplied him with e-mail addresses for Curtis Manning, Justin Barczak, Hunter Matthews, and David Simpson, who he thought would have interests in common with Reinhard. Language would be no problem, as Reinhard spoke excellent English. Bryce took down Reinhard’s e-mail address, and promised to send his friends a message introducing the German student. After a while, Bryce began to get definite vibes from Reinhard. To set the record straight, and avoid any misunderstanding, he decided to come out to the student.
“Reinhard, I’m beginning to think it would be a good thing if I mentioned that Damon and I are partners,” Bryce said.
“Partners?” Reinhard queried.
“Yes. We are both gay, and are committed to each other. I don’t want to mislead you,” Bryce informed him.
“Oh, I see. Well, I am kind of disappointed, but also relieved. I picked up on the fact that you two were gay a little while ago. I am also gay. I admit that I was sort of testing to see whether you might be interested in what I believe you call hooking up. But, I am actually pleased that you stopped me. You see, I have a partner as well. However, he has been away for most of the summer semester, that is, since the beginning of May. I was beginning to wander. Thank you for stopping me before I got into something I would later regret,” the German said.
“I understand your frustration. When do you expect to see your partner next?” Bryce asked.
“That is the embarrassing part. I will be going home to Münster in only two weeks for a weekend break, and will see him then. I was just getting carried away. I like you two very much. I will confess my sins to Markus when I e-mail him before going to sleep, as I do every day,” Reinhard stated.
“It sounds to me as though you and Markus have a pretty solid relationship,” Bryce speculated. “I would not want to be the cause of damaging that.”
Reinhard sighed. “You are perhaps familiar with the quotation, ‘the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ That describes me tonight.”
“Yes, I know the quotation. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemene speaking to Peter, right?” Bryce responded.
“Right. And like Peter, I was ready to betray my beloved,” Reinhard moaned.
“But Jesus forgave Peter,” Bryce encouraged him.
“True. And Markus has forgiven me in the past, and I him. It is necessary when dealing with us poor humans.”
“Very true,” Bryce agreed. To change the subject, he then asked, “Damon and I like to dance. Is there a place where gays can dance without causing problems?”
“Yes. Not far from here. Across the street and down a little, is a gay friendly place with a small dance floor. Markus and I made use of it before he decided not to return in the spring. He was a student here in Chemistry,” Reinhard informed them. “I will go with you. Surely it is not a betrayal of your partnership to dance with me.”
“Not at all. I would be delighted to dance with you, and so would Damon,” Bryce said.
“Hey, I’ll make my own arrangements,” Damon protested. “Reinhard, I would love to dance with you, but you’ll have to be pretty lively. I only do slow dances with Bryce.”
Reinhard laughed. “I will do my best.”
“Oh, by the way, the name I gave you earlier, David Simpson, is a Chemistry major, and is gay. He is a partner of a very good friend of ours in Clifton. The other names I gave you are straight, though,” Bryce declared.
“Maybe your friend David can talk to my partner Markus. He is very sad – I think you say depressed? – since last March when his father died,” Reinhard commented. “I did not want to leave him, but he insisted that I continue my studies.”
“He sounds like a really good friend, concerned about you,” Damon said.
“Yes, he is that. I am grateful for him,” Reinhard replied.
They found the place to which Reinhard led them very much to their liking. It was not a place for quick hook-ups, but rather a place to relax and enjoy oneself. Both gay and straight patrons were present, and danced, with no one creating problems for anyone else. Reinhard danced with both Bryce and Damon, being sure to ask Damon for the faster numbers. It was midnight before they broke up, with Reinhard heading to his own place, and Bryce and Damon heading back to the Hotel Mercure.
On the way to the hotel, Damon broached a subject which had been bothering him for some time. “Do you think it was a good idea to have outed David like that?”
Bryce considered his answer. “Probably not. Definitely not as a general rule, but I got really positive vibes from Reinhard, and I really wanted to help his partner there. I’ll e-mail David right away and give him a heads up, and also apologize for acting without his permission.”
“Even Bryce makes mistakes,” Damon teased.
In the morning, with no in-house fitness center, Bryce and Damon got up together and prepared for the day. They found the breakfast overpriced, with Bryce complaining that many things which had been part of the basic hotel price in the past was now a separate charge. Part of the general economic downturn throughout the industrialized world, presumably. They checked out of the hotel, but left the car parked, and walked the short distance to the Dom, or cathedral. In a way, it was a funny looking building, with the octagonal chapel built for Charlemagne in the center, but with fourteenth and fifteenth century Gothic additions front and back. Entering, Bryce noted that a Mass began at ten o’clock, in only a few minutes, so they located that altar and prepared for Mass. When it was over, they toured the church, taking in the large monument to Charlemagne, which contains his remains. The present receptacle is from the mid twelfth century, when the anti-pope, Paschal III in 1165 canonized him as a favor to the Emperor Frederick Barbarossa. However, Paschal was not widely recognized as pope, and his acts were declared null and void at the Third Lateran Council in 1179.
“What is this anti-pope bit?” Damon asked.
“Well, during the Middle Ages there were serious conflicts between the popes and the Holy Roman Emperors, and sometimes the emperors would try to depose a pope and install their own favorite in his place. Sometimes, too, there was a disputed papal election. Those who claimed to be pope, but who are not recognized as legitimate, are called anti-popes,” Bryce explained.
As they already knew, Charlemagne crowned his own son at Aachen before he died. Later, with Otto the Great in 936, that practice was revived, and Aachen became the coronation spot for the German kings. Between Otto and Ferdinand I in 1531, thirty kings and twelve of their consorts were crowned at Aachen. The medieval rulers of Germany were also Holy Roman Emperors, but the coronation at Aachen made them kings of Germany only. To be emperors, they had to go to Rome to be crowned by the pope. The cathedral treasury contained many interesting items, some dating to the period of Charlemagne, but most later. Included were elaborate vestments and altar furnishings, such as chalices and ciboria. From the Dom, they next went to the Rathaus, or town hall, not far away. This impressive Gothic building dates from the fourteenth century. After these visits, they retrieved the car and drove out to the Kurgarten. Aachen was, after all, a spa. Such places were very popular as “cures” up into the early twentieth century, and, in the case of Aachen, back to Roman times when it was given its name. Aquae in Latin means “the waters.” There, the two had lunch, and then left Aachen, heading for their next stop, Cologne. Bryce was sorry to have to leave so quickly, as Aachen also had an award winning equestrian history, having hosted the international games sponsored by the Fédération Équestre Internationale only a few years before, but their schedule would not permit exploring this interest.
Cologne
Cologne, or Köln in its native speech, was not all that far away, still in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, and only about an hour driving time. It was only about forty miles, but getting into downtown Cologne, where their hotel was located, took more time. They had reservations at the hotel called “Im Kupferkessel,” which, Bryce was told, meant “at the copper kettle.” When they arrived in mid afternoon, they were quickly registered and shown to their room. Bryce was again pleased to find that the room was wired for internet connections, and here it was included in the price of the room. Cologne is the fourth largest city in Germany with over a million inhabitants, and so offered many attractions. Cologne was the largest city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, but was not the capital city. That honor went to Düsseldorf, mostly at the insistence of the British occupying authorities after World War II. This city nonetheless had a long and interesting history. They would explore some of that the next day, but for their first evening in Cologne they were more concerned to find a good place for dinner, and some relaxation.
Acting on advice at their hotel, after wandering about the city a bit Bryce and Damon went for their first meal in Cologne to Gaffel-am-Dom. This is a restaurant connected to a brewery, a combination quite common in Germany, in this case producing Koelsch, the local beer. There were two entrances, one facing the main train station (Hauptbahnhof), which gave it its official address (Bahnhofsvorplatz 1), the other facing the impressive cathedral (Dom), which the guys would visit the next day. There was outside seating on both sides, so they chose to be seated outside on the cathedral side. Of course, they ordered glasses of Koelsch, which, they would find, the waiter continued to refill until they told him to stop. Damon enjoyed baked chicken, while Bryce had a pork dish, both of which were very well prepared and served, and, of course, washed down with plenty of Koelsch.
Following dinner, they made their way to a local venue called Papa Joe’s Jazzlokal, which offered live jazz. Located in the Buttermarkt (butter market), it proved to be crowded and hot inside, but extremely friendly. Damon was elated at finding a place and a large crowd which appreciated his kind of music. This night spot has been in operation for about 35 years, offering a different jazz band each night. It claims to be one of the best jazz spots next only to Preservation Hall in New Orleans. There was no entrance fee, but of course patrons were expected to buy quantities of Papa Joe’s own beer or other drinks. This was not a place for dancing, but a place for listening to music. Papa Joe Buschmann, a man in his eighties, put in an appearance, to the pleasure of the crowd. Fortunately, someone nearby who spoke English explained the excitement to the two guys. There was even a gift shop (they really are everywhere!) where Damon purchased a T-shirt with the logo of the place. Bryce noted on the menu that beer and bottled water cost the same, four Euros. They had a wonderful evening before returning to the Hotel im Kupferkessel for the night.
The next morning, after breakfast at the hotel, Bryce and Damon set out to visit the cathedral. The Cathedral of St. Peter in Cologne claims to be the most visited site in Germany. This Gothic structure was begun in 1248, but construction was halted in 1473 because of financial difficulties, and not resumed until the nineteenth century, when the impressive towers were completed between 1842 and 1880. It is the largest Gothic structure in northern Europe. On the site of Christian churches from the fourth century, the present structure was planned as a place to show off what were believed to be the relics of the Three Kings. In 1164 Archbishop Rainald von Dassel, a supporter of Emperor Frederick Barbarossa, acquired these relics from Milan in northern Italy after the Emperor’s troops sacked that city. The relics had been housed in the Basilica of St. Eustorgius in Milan, named for the Bishop of Milan who supposedly brought the relics there from Constantinople in the year 344. These relics were expected to draw pilgrims from all over Christendom, so a new cathedral was planned to house them, with the cornerstone laid by Archbishop Konrad von Hochstaden on 15 August 1248.
Cologne, along with much of the present state of North Rhine-Westphalia, passed into the hands of the Prussian monarchy in 1815, resulting in many clashes between the predominantly Catholic region and the traditionally Protestant monarchy. In 1837 this led to a public conflict called the Kölner Wirren (Cologne Troubles), when Archbishop Clemens August von Droste-Vischering of Cologne ordered the Catholic people to refuse to obey the Prussian government’s marriage laws, which provided that male children would follow the religion of the father and female children that of the mother in mixed marriages. The Archbishop was arrested and imprisoned in the fortress of Minden for several years. Hence it was that in 1842 the Prussian government, under the more accommodating King Frederick William IV (reigned 1840-1861), attempted to improve relations with its Catholic subjects by sponsoring the plan to complete the Cologne cathedral.
Behind the high altar is the shrine of the Three Kings, a triple sarcophagus housing the relics supposedly representing the biblical magi. The shrine itself is a wonderful work of medieval artistry, begun in the twelfth century by the goldsmith Nicholas of Verdun, and completed in 1225. In 1864 the shrine was opened, and the remains of three persons of different ages were found to be inside. “None of which,” Bryce concluded, “proves anything about the authenticity of the relics.”
“So, you’re doubting again?” Damon asked.
“Yes. The only biblical source for the wise men who visited Jesus as a baby is the Gospel According to St. Matthew, which calls them ‘magi.’ The magi were the priestly caste of the Zoroastrian religion of Persia, and they paid special attention to the stars and other heavenly phenomena, so that fits, but there is no evidence for how many there were, or exactly where they came from, or what happened to them after they left. Although tradition says there were three, that’s probably because three gifts – gold, frankincense, and myrrh – are named. Tradition also ascribes to them the names Caspar (or Gaspar, or Jaspar), Melchior, and Balthasar. Even later tradition says they were kings, and came from Europe, Asia, and Africa, to represent all of then known humanity. And this is just the Western traditions. There are completely different stories related in the East, no better documented than these.”
“You mean there was no black man at Bethlehem! Them’s fightin’ words!” Damon joked, playfully attacking his partner.
“They were probably all Persians,” Bryce proclaimed while defending himself from Damon’s assaults.
Despite their skepticism about the authenticity of the relics, both young men enjoyed their visit to the cathedral, and their view of the reliquary.
Leaving the cathedral, Bryce and Damon visited the Römisch-Germanisches Museum, which was practically next door. It was known all along that Cologne had been a Roman city. In fact, the very name comes from the Latin Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippenensium, the name given by the Romans to the settlement on the site of an earlier town of the Ubii, a Germanic tribe living in the region at the time of Julius Caesar. However, it was the discovery of a well preserved mosaic and other remnants of a third century villa during excavations for an air raid shelter in 1941 which is the foundation for the present museum. Since the mosaic could not be easily moved without damage, the museum was constructed around it. The mosaic, which dates to about 225 A.D., depicts scenes from the myths of Dionysus. The museum also contains the reconstructed tomb of the legionnaire Poblicius, dating to about 40 A.D., an extensive collection of Roman glassware, and of artifacts of everyday use.
After visiting the cathedral and the museum, it was lunchtime. Finding themselves very near the restaurant they used the previous evening, and having found it more than satisfactory, they lunched there, again using the outside accommodations. Bryce decided to try a couple of local specialities, namely the Halves Hahn and Reibekuchen. Although the name means “half hen,” Halves Hahn is actually a kind of sandwich made with Gouda cheese. No one seems to know for certain where the name came from. Reibekuchen are potato fritters. Damon decided he would sample the goulash, which he found both tasty and filling. Both lunches were accompanied by Koelsch, of course.
After lunch the two young men visited the twelfth century Rathaus, but then decided to concentrate on the famed twelve Romanesque churches of Cologne. While visiting the Basilica of St. Ursula, they were faced with another legend. The story says St. Ursula and 11,000 virgins were martyred by the Huns. A little detective work by Bryce however uncovered the fact that the original story spoke of Ursula and eleven virgins. Medieval chroniclers had a tendency to exaggerate.
“That sounds more reasonable,” said Damon.
“Yeah. I doubt that there are eleven thousand virgins, at least over the age of puberty, in Cologne now, and there are a lot more people here now than there were in the fifth century.”
“One more Catholic legend shot to hell,” Damon needled his partner.
“Well, there really might have been Ursula and eleven others,” Bryce defended tradition to that extent.
According to the stories preserved at the basilica, Ursula was a British princess who just happened to come to Cologne at the wrong time. The church was constructed on the site of a Roman cemetery, which provided the bones regarded as the relics of the 11,000 virgins. Analysis indicates that the bones belong to more than eleven, but fewer than 11,000, persons.
They visited St. Andreas church, a tenth century edifice extensively rebuilt in the twelfth century. It was of interest in that there reposed in the crypt the Roman sarcophagus containing the remains of the philosopher St. Albertus Magnus, who died in 1280. Probably the most distinguished and influential scholar associated with Cologne, Albert was the teacher of St. Thomas Aquinas, and is noted for his insistence that faith and reason could exist harmoniously together.
The only other of the twelve Romanesque churches of Cologne they actually visited was Great St. Martin, because Damon had acquired an interest in that saint back in Tours. This church rests on the remnants of a Roman era chapel, but in its modern form dates to the period from the mid twelfth to the mid thirteenth centuries. Its signature feature is the great crossing tower with its soaring corner towers. The church was badly damaged during World War II, but in typical German fashion has been restored to its pre-war condition. The two decided at this point they had enough churches.
After first acquiring some kölnisch Waßer (known at home by the French version, eau de Cologne) as gifts for Bryce’s mother and sister, the remainder of the afternoon was spent discovering the career of the most famous citizen of Cologne, Konrad Adenauer (1876-1967). A native of Cologne, Adenauer was a devout Catholic even as a university student in the 1890s, and remained so all his life. In 1906 he began his political career as a member of the Center Party and the Cologne City Council. The Center Party was one of the larger political parties in Germany, formed in the 1870s in response to the persecution of the Catholic Church by the Prussian government in what was called the Kulturkampf. It was, therefore, the political arm of German Catholicism. In 1909 Adenauer became Vice-Mayor of Cologne, which then had a population of 635,000, making it one of the largest cities in Germany even then. In 1917, in the midst of World War I, he became Mayor, a position he continued to fill until dismissed by the Nazis in 1933. During the last days of the war, he worked with the other major party in Cologne, the Social Democrats, to provide as many as 200,000 meals per day, avoiding the severe food shortages and hunger which beset many German cities by the end of 1918. During the allied occupation after the war, he established a good working relationship with the British authorities, using them to keep the extremist groups in line. During these same years, he flirted with the idea of a separate Rhenish state, still part of Germany, but not part of Prussia. In 1922, however, he became President of the Prussian State Council, the body representing the various cities and provinces of Prussia, which office, again, he retained until being dismissed by the Nazis. In the early 1930s Adenauer was slow to realize the danger posed by the Nazis. He was more concerned about the Communist threat, which had the backing of Stalin’s Russia. His position was that an improvement of the economy following the Great Depression would eventually eliminate both the right and the left wing extremists as long as they were not shored up by outside forces. In late January of 1933 Adolf Hitler was sworn in as German Chancellor. Less than a month later, Adenauer realized his mistake, finding no cooperation possible. He was dismissed from office as Mayor in April, and his bank account frozen, so he had nothing. For four years, he lived off the generosity of friends and changed residences frequently for fear of arrest. Finally, in 1937, he received some relief, but in 1944, after the failed assassination attempt on Hitler, he was again imprisoned on suspicion of involvement.
Following the war, Adenauer was the leading figure in the formation of a new political party, as all the old ones had been suppressed by the Nazis. The new party was called the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), which combined the old Catholic Center Party with moderate elements from the Protestant parties. In 1948 he took part in the assembly at Frankfurt which drafted the Constitution for the new German Federal Republic (West Germany), where he served as chairman. In the first free elections since 1933, Adenauer’s new CDU emerged as the strongest party, and he was appointed as Chancellor in 1949, a position he held for fourteen years, despite the fact that he was already 73 at the time. He became known as “Der Alte” - The Old One. It was Adenauer who presided over West Germany’s economic recovery, her role as a founding partner of the Common Market, which is now the European Union, and her rearmament as a member of NATO. In other words, he led Germany back into the ranks of the civilized world after her disastrous experience with Nazi neo-paganism. For the first time in history, Germans had a working constitutional government based on popular participation.
Both Bryce and Damon found much to admire in the career of Konrad Adenauer, and they noted that it was based on the values he learned as a young Catholic, and continued to hold all his life. In this, he was a strong ally of France’s Charles de Gaulle. Adenauer died in 1967, after resigning as Chancellor in 1963. His funeral Mass was held in Cologne Cathedral.
Cologne is the site of a university, which in some ways dates to 1392, although it was suppressed by the French and Prussian authorities. However, during the period of its suppression there was a university at Bonn nearby, which was united with other sources in the re-established university after World War II. With 38,000 students, there were plenty of places for young people to eat and enjoy the evening. Bryce found that Cologne was partnered with three American institutions of higher learning, Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania State University, and the Law School of the University of California at Berkeley.
After dinner at a student café and some time just hanging out and talking to other young people, about 9:30 Bryce learned from a German student about a gay club called the Blue Lounge. He and Damon made their way there, as they desired once again to dance together. This club was only open on Friday and Saturday evenings, so it was good that this was a Friday. His informant also told Bryce about some other places, but they seemed to appeal to the BDSM crowd, which he was definitely not interested in. At the Blue Lounge the two young men found what they wanted, namely a place to dance and socialize without creating a scene. While Cologne in general was gay friendly, sometimes one just wanted not to be stared at.
Sometime after midnight the partners returned to their hotel and to bed. In the morning, they would leave Cologne for their next stop, Mainz.