The old weaving town of Monschau is a real hidden gem tucked away in the Rur Valley within the Eifel Region to the South of Aachen. I love the old half timbered houses and the rambling streets of the old town; its two medieval castles standing guard down through the ages over the steep little valley and its sleeping residents.

If you pick a quiet time, it’s easy to transport yourself back into the past and imagine what life must have been like in an isolated rural town hundreds of years ago. Pride of place in Monschau surely belongs to the “Red House” which was definitely a cut above the normal abode for the typical textile weaver in the 18th Century.