Bookmarks
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The paper bookmark of the clan McGregor that I bought in Scotland at Sterling Castle (Link: http://tinyurl.com/h5jp5 ) has survived three Diana Gabaldon books. But it is getting pretty well worn. At the moment I am 
maybe 25 pages from the end of Voyager. Jamie and Claire are on one of the Caribbean islands at the moment. And of course it is all so exciting that I read a little, then put it down for a while to calm down!
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Saturday and yesterday there was a really nice arts and crafts fair right in the center of Aachen, Germany. Directly next to the church that Charlemagne built in 800 A.D. (Link: http://tinyurl.com/f9jl7 ) In fact a big part of the fair was on the large open area between the cathedral and the rathaus. Twelve hundred years ago this area was baths fed by the famous hot springs. It was a beautiful day, so I rode my Vespa over there.
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I have been to the cathedral many, many times. Charlemagne’s earthly remains are kept here in a gold-covered silver casket (Link: http://tinyurl.com/m6plt). And many times to the treasury also, which has a gold statue of Karl the Great which contains one of his large arm bones on display through a cut-out (LINK: http://tinyurl.com/qndav) and Jesus's belt (Link: http://tinyurl.com/r5tse ). This whole site is on my list of places that I take visitors. I even took at one-person paid tour of the site one time to learn more about it.
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So I was really pleasantly surprised to see that the parochial school which is attached to the cathedral and treasury was open for visitors. They were selling little German cakes, glasses of apple juice and water, etc.
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I bought a glass of water, then I wandered around and got to see part of Charlemagne’s complex that I’ve never seen before. In one room they were selling CDs of religious music. A big room, full. No kidding. Must have been thousands of religious CDs, all categorized, etc.
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Much like at the juke box show (Link: http://tinyurl.com/jec4m ), but of course much more pious. 
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Two of the sisters were selling metal book marks with pictures printed of the various famous things. One was of a really beautiful gold statue near the altar of the church that I’ve seen many times, but that I never knew what it was. So in my blissful ignorance I asked these nuns what it was. And they said in tandem, “Mary.” I didn’t know what they meant. So one of them patiently explained to me, The Virgin Mary you ignorant, infedel jerk. I said, “Oh, Yes, of course, The Virgin Mary.”
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So I showed these nuns my pretty well worn out Scottish book mark. Of course I was carrying my Diana Gabaldon book in the bag. The nuns sold me two really nice bookmarks. One shows the so-called She-Wolf that greets you when you enter Charlemagne’s cathedral. It is made of bronze and dates from the 2nd century. It actually is a Roman female bear but is know as a wolf. You gotta have faith. Link: http://tinyurl.com/mqrl7
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The other bookmark shows Charlemagne’s throne. This is on the second floor of the cathedral. It is a modest marble seat made from re-used ancient material. An archaeologist once told me that this marble came from the Church of The Holy Sepulcure in Jerusalem. This same chair, in the same location it still is today, was used for nearly 600 years, from 936 A.D. to 1531 as a part of the coronation ceremony of many German Kings. They were enthroned here, after having been anointed and crowned at the main altar of the cathedral.
Good article about Aachen, Germany http://paulgarland.blogspot.com/2006/01/aachen-tourist-information.html
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