Koln and its Cathedral

We left the Rhine valley - at least this part of it - and drove to Koln (Cologne - important to know how it is signed in order to find it).  We arrived at the Gasthaus Adolphus by midday even though the driving conditions were awful as it was pouring rain and visibility was terrible.  It was great there was free parking right outside.  We got instructions from our host how to reach the town centre by using the tram - 3 Euros per person.  Our destination was the cathedral which my sister wanted to visit.

The ride in was easy and first we visited the Tourist Information Office to determine what else might be worth seeing here.  The weather wasn't cooperating - more rain - so we decided to take the little tourist train (under cover) for a 45 minute trip around the town, including the old town.  It all looked charming and, if we had had more time and the weather had been better, we might have lingered longer.  Certainly the area around the Chocolate Museum located on the banks of the Rhine and all the bars and restaurants along there looked interesting but it was not to be.

We ended the tour back at the Dom (cathedral).  We had originally thought we would take a guided tour but neither of us were particularly interested in a one hour tour which would probably contain more details than either of us would comprehend or retain.  So, we decided to explore this amazing building on our own. 

Cologne Cathedral is a renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture.  It was declared a World Heritage Site in 1996.  It is Germany's most visited landmark, attracting an average of 20,000 people a day.  Despite having been left incomplete during the medieval period, Cologne Cathedral eventually became unified as "a masterpiece of exceptional intrinsic value" and "a powerful testimony to the strength and persistence of Christian belief in medieval and modern Europe".

The owner of the Gasthaus had recommended that we eat in one of the neighbourhoods outside of the city centre.  So, we followed his advice and took the tram to Florastrasse (on the same line as where we were staying) and spent a few hours at Fruh “Em Golde Kappes” eating and drinking!  Kath ordered a beer but was not pleased when it came in a very small glass.  Then, she found out they only serve Kolasch in little glasses because they feel that beer needs to be fresh.  As long as you don’t put a drink coaster over the top of your glass, the waiter will continue to bring you a beer.  Kath had had 8 before she put the coaster on the top of her glass!  She also ordered mussels and ended up with nearly 60 in the pot.  I had three glasses of wine plus Jagerschnitzel with spätzle and salad.  It was better than what we had had previously.  It wasn’t surprising that the prices were better and the food was good given we were in a restaurant frequented by locals.  I think we were the only tourists there.  

Tomorrow, we leave Germany and head for France and the Belgium to explore the battlegrounds of the two World Wars.