Beautiful Monschau

At the end of September, my friend Dave had his birthday and wanted to take a couple days off of work to celebrate.  Somehow he and his wife Emily convinced me (and I convinced my boss) to take the day off of work and go with them to the beautiful city of Monschau.  Not far from Aachen and on the border to Belgium, Monschau is a quaint, little, picturesque German town nestled in a valley.

One thing interesting about the area surrounding Monschau is that there are still remnants of "dragon's teeth" outside the city.  These concrete pyramids were used as a blockade against military tanks during WWII.  Driving around the Monschau area, you can see rows and rows of them.

dragon's teeth

Ever since I moved to this area, everyone has told me about Monschau.  Apparently they have a wonderful Weihnachtsmarkt there at Christmastime, so I will probably have to go back.  One of the main things Monschau is known for is its mustard mill.  And let me tell you...the mustard in Monschau is really good!  There are several shops to try all sorts of varieties of mustard.  But my favorite is the Johannisbeer mustard (Johannis berry is a small red berry that we do not have in the USA--not sour, but not sweet).

streets of Monschau

It was a relaxing day of just wandering around the town, eating (a lot!), and browsing the different shops.  We had lunch at a restaurant right on the canal and Dave had a good view of the town.  It was his birthday, afterall.  I tried the mustard soup.  I have come a long way from absolutely hating mustard a couple years ago.  Now I love it!

Emily and me at lunch

mustard soup

The town was really beautiful and I definitely want to go back at Christmastime.  And since it's not very far from where I live, anyone who comes to visit me can go there with me!

canal in the middle of Monschau

with Emily and Dave