Off to Gemany!

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We were totally ready to go, all of the bags (just carry one bags, since it was only a weekend trip) had been packed the night before so we just had to grab them. We were all up early, we knew what metro lines we had to take to get to Gare du Nord where we were catching our train to Köln, everything was going great. At least until we got to the train station. Once we were there Bev realized that she had forgotten her purse, with the train tickets, back at the apartment! Luckily we were so early that there was enough time for her to rush back to the apartment and get her bag while Mike, Ed and I got some croissants to take on the train for breakfast. It is a bit nerve racking waiting for someone to show up with the tickets, especially as the time for the train is creeping closer and closer. We did had plenty of time and once Bev got back with the tickets we asked what platform our train was leaving on, and with the help of a local we found the platform alright. (There is very poor signage at the station)!
Paris has stepped up their security since the terrorist attacks and instead of being able to walk onto the platform and wait for the train we had to stand in line and wait to go through security. Once the train arrived we went through, we had to put our bags through a conveyor belt scanner, and go through a person scanner before we could board the train. It was fairly relaxed as such things go, and we enjoyed an hour and a half trip to Brussels. We got off in Brussels and had a moment of panic when we saw the sign for Brussels Suid. We were supposed to get off at the Midi station! So we hopped back on the train. I was pretty sure that the conductor had called it the Midi station though, and there was no one else left on the train so we got off again. Bev asked one of the conductors as I looked for another sign and we were at the right station. I found a sign Bruxelles Midi (Belgium)/Brussels Suid (French), Bev also got confirmation we were in the right train station so we went for lunch. Bev had to pick up train tickets to Vimy Ridge that she had ordered online before we left Canada and after that we had lunch, Pizza and cous cous salad. We did some shopping at the train station, basically lots of Belgium chocolate. Another uneventful train trip took us to Köln. We arrived in Köln about 3:15pm, so we had an hour and a half before we met up with Sebastian and Lisa.We put our bags in the baggage storage. It was an interesting storage system, instead of a lot of lockers there were terminals and you put your bags in the compartment which was then taken somewhere else to be stored. It worked fine though so we deposited our bags and went across the way to the Köln Dom. It is a lovely large cathedral (aren't they all). We didn't stay there too long and ended up going back to the train station's Starbucks for coffee and tea. On our way into the Starbucks passed a very agitated woman who was yelling, at least this time she wasn't yelling at us but at some police officers. (Note - the last time I was in Köln, Sydony and I were yelled at by an old man). Ed and I stayed at Starbucks to finish our drink while Mike and Bev went to meet Sebastian and Lisa. There was a last minute track change though and So it took a few minutes for them to meet up. We finally met up with each other and our first stop was to the apartment that Lisa and Sebastian had booked, to dropped off our bags. We then went for a walk around the city - to the Rhein, across the lock bridge, along the water on the other side - back across another bridge, and through the old town. We were all starting to get hungry and our feet were sore so we went back to the apartment to change and then went to find a restaurant near there for dinner. We ended up at a Thai place just down the street from us. The food took a long time (it seemed even longer since we were all starving by then, at least I was starving), but it was really very good. We stopped to get some water on the way back to the apartment. Bev had brought some presents for Sebastian and Lisa, they had also brought us some gifts so we did a gift exchange! They had brought many iconic items from where they are from in Germany. Pumpernickel bread, salami, Haribo licorice, Hereford beer etc. Lisa and Sebastian had just moved to a new apartment in Hereford so Sebastian cracked open some of the beers, using only a water bottle top, and showed us some photos of their new apartment. It is very different over here. In Canada when you buy a place typically you get things like the kitchen! Sebastian and Lisa had to buy and install a new kitchen. It was pretty interesting to see how they designed it and bought all the parts from Ikea and had to put together the cabinets, stove, counters, everything! We finished the beers and went to bed. There was a club next door and it was super loud, the couch beds were pretty comfortable though and it didn't take too long to fall asleep, despite the noise.

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Photos

Köln Dom
In front of the entrance

Köln Dom
It is a huge imposing church, you need to get really far away to get most of it in the photo.

Köln Apartment
The kitchen

Köln Apartment
The living room, a.k.a Mike and Maryanne's bedroom

Bridge of Locks
A very long bridge with tens of thousands of locks

Köln Dom
A view from the bridge with the locks, looking back at the Köln Dom