The next destination on our journey around Europe took us out of Luxembourg and into the great country of Germany. We had already visited Belgium and wanted to keep on seeing new things. So we headed for Germany and the city of Cologne. JB and I went to Düsseldorf in 2012 and had a great time – so we decided to see what Düsseldorf’s sister city had to offer.
Heading to Germany did mean one thing that made me slightly nervous and excited at the same time. The Autobahn. I would have been more excited about the prospect of no speed limits and open road if I had been driving a decent car. But no, we were stuck in a Opel Corsa. A 4 cylinder hatchback car with the get up and go of a Galapagos tortoise. Naught to 60 in this car was an agonizing 20 seconds that felt like you were moving backwards. I was deathly afraid of getting my doors blown off on the German super roads. It turned out I didn’t need to be that excited – most traffic was doing a normal speed – but we did get passed by a few super-cars that scared the living daylights out of me as they roared past at warp speed.
After the short drive over to Cologne, we checked into our hotel (Hilton Cologne) and headed out to explore the city for the afternoon.
Our first stop was a Döner stand just across the street from our hotel. I have something of a Döner Kebap obsession – it’s perfect in Germany. The meat is cooked really well and the bread is always soft and fresh. If you’re ever in Germany – get yourself some. It’s the best lunch ever. EVER.
After this we took a quick walk around the Cologne Cathedral. This building was stunning. It was built (or at least started being built) in the 1200’s. As usual for churches in Europe – the stained glass was beautiful and the atmosphere in the church was fairly awe-inspiring. The Cologne cathedral supposedly holds the crowned skulls and clothes of the three wise men who visited Jesus in the manger. Why they were in Germany – I don’t know – but apparently they extended their stay indefinitely. This reliquary is the largest in the western world and actually was kind of neat to see.
In addition to the relic – there is also a slightly newer addition to the church – the “Modern Mosaic” stained glass window that was created by German artist Gerhard Richter in 2007. This window is really stunning – made from 11,000 identically sized glass pieces – it somehow fits right in with the windows that had been there for hundreds of years while still managing to be modern. It was a sight to behold.
After the cathedral – we decided we were thirsty and needed to try some of the local brew. Kölsch is the beer of Cologne. It’s an awesome summer beer. Not overly hoppy, light, and refreshing with a low alcohol content. It’s also served in small thin glasses that are 0.2L – the waiters bring them as fast as you can drink them – so you always have a cold one in front of you. We stopped at Gilden Im Zims brewhouse and had a few while we discussed our next move. It was a great beer.
After the brewhouse – we just set out walking around Cologne. We made a large circle of the city and got familiar with some of the more residential areas of the city. It’s a great walking city. After our walk we found some Chinese food (which was amazing) and headed to the hotel for the night.
The next morning – we headed back to the Cologne Cathedral. This time with one goal – climb to the top. We had missed this part of the tour yesterday and wanted to see what it was all about. After climbing the 533 steps to the top of the tallest church spires ever built – I can tell you that it is about burning legs and small tiny spiral staircases into the sky. The views were great, but some time on a stair master before the trip probably wouldn’t have hurt anything.
After the Cathedral climb, we went out on a limb and rented a couple of bikes to expand our exploring range. This was the first time that we have rented bikes in Europe. I can tell you that we’ll be doing it again – it was great. The roads in Europe are built for bikes and the drivers are used to them being around and actually look out for you. It really does expand the range that you can sightsee and doesn’t really cut down on the things that you see in between like driving a car or taking the subway does. We rode around Cologne for the afternoon and went to a chocolate musuem, where we got to see how chocolate is made and even a couple of samples (never a bad thing) of chocolate right off the factory line. After the musuem, we headed out into the city and ended up beside a lake in the park for the sunset. We grabbed a couple of beers from the lakeside stand and sat down to enjoy the evening.
The way that people enjoy the outdoor space in Europe is one of my favorite things about going there. When you walk into a park on a summer evening – you enter an entirely different world. People are actually there – playing games, cooking, napping in the sun, whatever – but they are there and enjoying the park space. There are very few places I have lived in the US that are this way (New York’s Central Park and San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park being notable exceptions). It’s just a great place to be – JB and I really like it.
After the park – we headed back to the center of the city and returned our bikes and ventured out to find some dinner. We ended up at another brewhouse called Früh am Dom. Früh Kölsch is one of the more popular types and their restaurant was a lot of fun. Traditional German dishes served up with glass after glass of fresh from the barrel Kölsch. Good times.
After dinner – it was back to the hotel for some much needed sleep. Climbing the cathedral and biking a dozen miles or so had wiped us out!
I would recommend Cologne for short stop to anyone heading to Germany. If you can make an overnight connection there while traveling by train- do it. The cathedral is right next to the train station and there are several hotels of all price ranges within a block of there. If your are in the mood for a longer stay in western Germany – I would recommend visiting Cologne for a day or two – followed by a day or two in Dusseldorf. They are both really great cities with different flavors and attractions. The beer in Dusseldorf (Altbier) is one of my favorite german styles – everyone should have one right from the barrel at some point in their life.
Next up – the capital of Charlemagne’s kingdom – Aachen!
Up and Adam 
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