Hike Welkenraedt – Aachen Christmas Market (21 km) - RSVP open 8/12

As it is almost Christmas again we will walk from Welkenraedt to the Aachen Christmas Market. First we will walk on small roads through the fields to Kelmis, one of the few German speaking villages in Belgium, then continue through the forest until we reach the famous “3 Borders Point” where the Belgium, German and Dutch border come together. Here we will literally walk on the Belgium-German border for a while before we reach the “Friedwichwald” and end up in the city centre at the Dome of Aachen at the Christmas Market.

After our hike (and the Christmas market) we can go to a “Brauhaus” for schnitzel (or other German food) in Aachen before returning to Brussels. For those who want to join let me know in the comments at least on Thursday morning because I need to make a reservation.
Please don't forget to pay Maikel a Glühwein and a Weizenbeer :-)

We will walk at an average speed of 5km/h. We will walk both on paved and unpaved roads.I’ve never walked this road before, so it’s possible that there are some mistakes in the planning.

●●Meeting point
We meet at 07h45 in front of the Starbucks in Brussels Central. Our train (IC506 – Eupen) leaves at 08h01 from platform 3. It arrives at our destination Welkenraedt at 09h33 where we start our hike to Aachen.

●● Train tickets
- single ticket Brussels to Welkenraedt (14,60 € weekend / 8,8 € with train card+)
- single ticket Aachen to Welkenraedt (6 € weekend / 3 € with train card +)
- single ticket Welkenraedt to Brussels (14,6 € weekend / 8,8 € with train card +)

●● Train back to Brussels
There is a train from Aachen to Welkenraedt (S415041 to Liège) every hour at XX:37 – it passes by Welkenraedt (where you take your normal Belgium Train Ticket) and continue our trip until Liege-Guilmins (X1:40 platform 5) where we change for the (IC540 – Oostende) who leaves at X2:00 from platform 3.

LAST TRAIN = 21:37

●● specifics
distance: ~ 21 km
elevation gain: ~ 347 m
net walking time: (breaks are not included here):~ 4h30
level: easy – open to everyone

In the unlikely case of too bad weather we may cancel a hike even few hours before the event. If this must happen, we will of course update the Meetup website and send out an email to those registered. So it’s important to have access to either the Meetup.com website and/or your emails.

●● What to bring
- warm comfortable hiking clothes – waterproof hiking shoes
- extra socks to change + compeed for blisters
- enough water or warm drinks and food for the breaks
- sun protection oil, a hat and sunglasses OR a raincoat
(please consult the weather forcast on www.meteo.be )
- a flashlight and a yellow/orange safety vest for when it gets dark
- some money to pay Maikel a drink ;-)

●● Basic rules
Please RSVP only if you really intend to come. And if your plans change update your RSVP latest 1 day before the hike so other people still have the possibility to join. This is basic courtesy towards others. People who cancel last day or don’t show up for the hike will be blacklisted for future hikes. Do not show up for a hike unless you are on the roster (i.e. “yes RSVP”, but not “wait listed”).

●● Acknowledgement of member responsibility and release of liability
By signing up for this event, you agree to release the organizers from any responsibility and liability in all claims. As the participation is strictly voluntary and you freely choose to join, it is the responsibility of individuals participating to ensure that they are fit enough and have adequate coverage to protect themselve