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Cologne Cathedral
See what I mean about the soot? Well my spring break trip has come to an end! After my fast-paced (on a bicycle) time in Rotterdam I was ready to take it easy. And when I think of relaxation, I think of Germany....ok maybe not, but that's where I was headed, so I made do.
I got to Cologne in the afternoon and had to take an inner-city train to the hotel. However, there didn't seem to be any place to buy tickets, so I just kinda hopped on the train. In fact, I never actually paid to use any public transport in Cologne. I don't know how they make money around here. The hotel was fine, in that old, faded glory and Monet prints above the bed kind of way. I was able to get some money, finally, that didn't require me to pay a fee. Thank god for the Deutsche Bank (or however you spell it).
Since I still had some daylight left I went down to the center of Cologne and saw the cathedral in all its soot-covered glory. I don't think I've ever seen a blacker cathedral. It was kind of disappointing. But the Rhine was really pretty, so I walked along
House 4711
THE place for eau de Cologne there, down to the chocolate museum that I wanted to visit the next day. I realized that I had now been to the Rhone and the Rhine- something mystical in that. When I turned to walk back I started looking at the restaurant signs to find someplace good to eat. I finally settled on a weiner schnitzel and fries deal for 5 euros. I got the local Kolsch beer too and had myself a good time. All was right with the world as I snuck on to another inner-city back to the hotel, watched some Star Trek in German and finally went to sleep.
The next morning I had a great breakfast in the hotel, then took my bags down to the central station and stored my pack in the coolest locker system ever. It was like the Swiss deposit box system, but for luggage. You put your money in and this door opens where you put in your stuff. Then you push a button, the door closes and whooshes away your bags, then spits out a card with a magnetic strip that you reinsert to get your bags again. They must have some central holding depot under the
Chocolate
This is my kind of job. station. I highly recommend it, just for the kicks of having your luggage magically appear.
I visited the cathedral again, then when over to House 4711 where they make the legit eau de cologne. It's not really scented, just this refreshing... liquid. I bought a little spritzer for 5 euros and watched the clock strike the hour and play the Marseillaise while these little Napoleonic figures went around. I guess you had to be there.
The chocolate museum on the banks of the Rhine was very good, in many ways. I learned all about the way chocolate is made and how much effort it takes to actually get cocoa beans. There was a Lindt factory in the museum and I got to see how they make and package chocolates. That was pretty cool. I even had a sample. Yum.
On my way back to the station I bought my first bratwurst and ate that while I walked. I also got some vanilla ice cream to enjoy. It was one of those times when everything feels good and I was content with the world.
The next stop on my tour was Bonn, a city only about 20
minutes by train from Cologne, but completely different. It actually reminded me of Aix a bit, with a downtown that had open plazas and little boutiques. I took a tram south to my hotel- it was really nice and I had the best room of anywhere on my trip. I even had a shower in the room!
I explored Bonn a little bit that evening and got my second bratwurst in a market. I think that was also around the time that I got hit by a grape that someone had thrown and it missed the intended target. I gave them a sarcastic Danke and kept going. The Y-shaped stain has faded to an interesting blue color, so I'm not too upset.
The next morning, my last real day of touring around I did a self-guided walking tour of Bonn and visited the Beethoven museum in the house where he was born. It was pretty cool, although all the signs were in German. They had a room with computers where you could listen to his music and follow along on his sheet music and they also had an interactive performance of part of some opera he did and
A Festival in Bonn
I stumbled onto a fair in the middle of Bonn, complete with goats and a band playing American big band jazz. it was in 3D. The characters were represented by abstract shapes and lines and by pulling on ropes or moving a joystick the members of the audience controlled where they went. It was like Fantasia, but better. I really enjoyed it.
What else can I say about Bonn? I only paid for two tram tickets the whole time I was there. (I am very bad about defrauding public transportation systems.) I had a third bratwurst for lunch, but got food at a local grocery store for dinner. I basically chilled out and watched CNN International a lot. Not the best ending to a trip, but whatever.
Next morning I had a great breakfast, then went back to Cologne to catch a Thalys train to Paris Nord and from there I took the RER to Gare de Lyon and rode first class back to Aix. I had been so worried to whole trip about getting from Nord to Lyon, but it was actually very painless and easy. So my trip ended on a high note, and that's about all I can ask for.
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