These are Printen – chocolately sweets which are regional to Aachen. The original ones are very hard (caramelized), but we had some soft ones which are rather more chewable.
Aachen is a destination for pilgrimage, which is undertaken every seven years, and it is traditional to give the pilgrims some Printen.
This is half-calculator, half abacus (actually a soroban), which I saw in the Arithmeum in Bonn. Seemed a bit odd to me.
Arithmeum is interesting if you’re interested in counting machines – from the very earliest reckoning tables and abaci through to microchip design. I found the older items more interesting, the modern calculating tools aren’t of so much interest. Well worth a visit, though.
I spent new year in Germany again this year, stayed in Aachen with Andrea’s brother for a week, and then went down to Saarbrücken for a few days. Had a chance to see some of the sights around the Rhineland, which was pretty interesting.
This photo is the Rhein, in Köln. We spent a day there, doing touristy things. If you want to go shopping, Köln is the place, with an enormous pedestrian area and a massive range of shops.
