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Blogs from Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, Europe
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May 10th 2013
Live from a Starbucks in Cologne, gotta make it quick they are closing soon. no Wi-Fi on the ship. We only really have one thing to say, THE DOM!!!! We are in AWE, no words can describe it, no picture can do it justice, you have go to see this..... Steve and I had an incredible spiritual experience being here, and we lit a candle in memory of my Dad, four years today, and in memory of Jim, four years on May 18 here are the pics! Stay tuned for the next Starbucks update... read more
Strolling around in Cologne
Published: February 8th 2013Europe » Germany » North Rhine-Westphalia » Cologne
December 15th 2012
Besides visiting the Christmas Markets, having a good sleep (now that we could, without the kids...), spending some money at the shopping streets, we also strolled around in Cologne and did a little sightseeing... First, we visited the Cathedral and its environment. We crossed the Rhine at the Hohenzollern Bridge. The bridge itself was full with love padlocks, symbolizing the everlasting love . After a walk to the Chocolate museum, we tasted there the delicious chocolate cake in the adjacent Chocolate Grand Cafe. We also went to the Rudolfplatz and saw the home of "Eau de Cologne 4711" I especially liked the fact that there are so many outdoor shops in Cologne. One of them was four floors high. In the basement you could even test canoes... in the water...... read more
Christmas markets in Cologne (Köln)
Published: January 27th 2013Europe » Germany » North Rhine-Westphalia » Cologne
December 14th 2012
It's almost impossible not noticing the Christmas markets in Cologne (Köln). There are six of them ... Each with its own character. Cologne is known for its Christmas markets. Though not our main reason for visiting the city, we definitely wanted to visit them. And, I have to admit it (though I am not that keen on Christmas markets), it was much better than expected! The one that impressed us the most was "Heimat der Heinzel" (Home of the elves). The market is located in the heart of the Old Town and was full with beautiful stalls. We were impressed by the variety of colours and the hidden "Heinzelmännchen" (the gnomes who are said to do the work of the people of Cologne at night). The "Weihnachtsmarkt am Kölner Dom" is located just beside the Cologne ... read more
Introducing Christmas Markets
Published: December 4th 2012Europe » Germany » North Rhine-Westphalia » Cologne
December 3rd 2012
Cologne is our first stop within Germany and the weather has not disappointed! Less than 24hours here and already it is snowing,excellent! We arrived in Cologne and as has been tradtion so far, jumped on a City Tour to get an introduction to the city. From this tour, we discovered Cologne had 6 Christmas Markets, all looked interesting and we were excited to see them. After spending 90mins on the bus, we headed back to the hotel for a nap before hitting the markets. Feeling refreshed, we headed back out and we shouldnt have bothered. Tip number one for visiting the Christmas markets in Cologne- DO NOT go at night, especially a weekend night. It was insanely busy and not enjoyable at all as you spent all your time dodging the crowds and not looking at ... read more
September 3rd 2012
Left Brussels Saturday morning, caught the 10.30 ICE train to Cologne – train was so impressive – cruising at 250Kph – and as much leg room as you wanted and seats for our backpacks (this is how we expected the Eurostar to be). Arrive in Cologne two hours later which gave us the day in Cologne as we were booked onto the 22.30 sleeper train to Copenhagen. 12 hours was probably a bit generous to spend in Cologne – theres only so many Currywurst Phil can manage. In typical German fashion – they had an automated luggage storage system in the train station which we think is worth a mention. You stick your bag into the machine – it gives you a ticket – then when your ready to leave you put your ticket back into ... read more
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Safe Journey to Mick and Karen
Published: August 21st 2012Europe » Germany » North Rhine-Westphalia » Cologne
August 20th 2012
Hope all went well on your departure from Oz! Bernie and I are on the tail end of the cruise and have docked here in Cologne for the night. Today we visited the Floriade in Venio, and tonight we sail for Amsterdam! Will be hard leaving the boat and having to fend for ourselves again after being so spoilt on board.... read more
Cologne...In Germany it is Pronounced Köln.
Published: July 22nd 2012Europe » Germany » North Rhine-Westphalia » Cologne
July 22nd 2012
Well we are in Köln. It has been an adventure here. It all started at the train station in Salzburg when we went to get our reservations. I asked about reservations to Köln but I obviously pronounced it wrong since the guy just stared at us so after saying it again and still getting a blank look I mentioned the English pronounciation and he finally understood where we wanted to go but he corrected us and said (an a very snotty tone) in Germany it is pronounced Köln. Our train from Salzburg was nice, long but nice. We were in a six person compartment. We had the window and aisle seat (with no one in the middle). Across from us by the window was a German lady and the other two seats were a nice retired ... read more
Day 1 - Arrived in Cologne
Published: July 8th 2012Europe » Germany » North Rhine-Westphalia » Cologne
July 8th 2012
Well we've set off and Day 1 was a complete success! We safely arrived in Cologne at 16:30 after three trains and a short walk The day started early for a Saturday as my train to London left at the ungodly time of 07:20 but it was an uneventful journey and a standard tube trip across to St Pancras. There I met John and we checked in and passed through security - we think one point we thought we spotted Gary Linekar but neitherof us were100% sure it was him... The trip througth the tunnel was was equally uneventful though we did arrive our a few minutes late into Brussels Midi meaning a jog through the station to catch our connecting German ICE train to Cologne - all those lunch time at the gym have paid ... read more
July 8th 2012
We spent our 2nd day in Cologne visting the town museum, climbing the cathedral tower to see the views across the city and taking a sight seeing tour on a boat along the Rhine. Unlike the glorious sunshine of the last day it rained pretty much the whole time - which made it feel much more like home! For dinner we both tried the german version of black pudding, blutwurst, which is served with a combination of apple sauce and potatoes, and fried onions. This is called Himmel und Aad - translated as Heaven and Earth. A table of locals seemed amused that two English lads has chosen it and were gauging our reaction (it was lovely by the way!) but I lacked the language skills to explain we don't find blood sausage to be an ... read more
July 7th 2012
Hoi zäme Kurze Nachricht für heute. Höckle in einem netten Kaffe in Köln, bin hier am Nachmittag angekommen und die Stadt gefällt mir! Habe mir den Dom angeschaut, bin auf einen Aussichtsturm und auf der Hohenzollernbrücke sind tausende Liebesschlösser am ganzen Geländer über dem Rhein angebracht. Total schnusig. Die Zeit verflog wie im Fluge und zu mehr reichte es nicht. Wie immer ein paar Fotos. Morgen habe ich vor, nach Fécamp zu fahren - ist in der Nähe von Le Havre. Guter Wind ist angesagt, das ändert jedoch fast stündlich. Bin gespannt, ob ich mich ins Tiden-Meer wagen werde mit dem Surfbrett. Machets guet!!!... read more
