Cologne

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Day 103 Wednesday 24 June

Cologne - Bonn - Cologne

21c fine, some wind



We left about 10.30 and walked up to the light rail station which is less than a kilometre from the house and caught the tram into Cologne Central. Then we caught another tram that took us the 30 km to Bonn.



When we arrived in Bonn we walked almost straight from the tram into the market place where they had a food market with really good looking vegetables and fruit. It was also the town square where the town hall is. It is a very attractive building, white and gold. Around the square are some buildings that were once part of the palace and are very also attractive.



We walked down some narrow streets to Beethoven's house. This is where he was born and grew up although he only lived in Bonn until he was 22, and then moved to Vienna but Bonn claims him as theirs. The whole house is a museum to Beethoven and has a host of artefacts from every aspect of his life including his death mask. We had an auto guide that added a lot of information and played excerpts of his music at relevant times.



After we had finished in the House we went back to the square and had some soup and a coffee. On the way back home in the tram we stopped at Metz and went to the train station to book our seats to Friedrichshafen. Then we caught another tram home. The trams run about every 10 minutes and it is very efficient.



As the sun was now shining we sat in the garden and had a drink. Then we sent Dani a facebook message about our arrival on Monday and did some other work on the iPad. Edith had prepared some artichokes and a dipping sauce for dinner which neither Gail nor I had ever had before. They were nice. After that we had some Roulades, potatoes and red cabbage, what Edith and Walter described as a "real German meal". We looked at some photos then watched the news which made a big feature of the Queen.



Day 104 Thursday 25 June

Cologne

25c



After breakfast we did some washing and ironing and sat in the garden in the sun reading. At lunch time we went into the city and to a coffee shop on the main square opposite the main entrance of the Cathedral. We ordered a coffee then Gail Walter and I went into the main shop and we each ordered a piece of tart. They were very nice. Edith was healthy and had soup. We sat for a while in the cafe garden then Walter and I went to a bar and had a couple of Kolsch beers. They serve them in small glasses because you are supposed to drink them quickly or they lose their liveliness.



From there we went to the tourist centre to wait for the tour of the underneath section of the Cathedral that Edith had booked for us. When the tour started we walked across the square and into the Cathedral with the guide. There was no English so Edith and Walter gave us the information. After a bit of an introduction in the main part of the Cathedral we went down underneath. Evidently when they were repairing the damage to the foundations after WWII they discovered the remains of churches from previous times and some Roman ruins. Even though we could not understand the commentary it was really interesting seeing the foundations of the church, particularly the pillars that hold up the towers as well as all the other remains.



The tour took about 2 hours then we drove home. We had a BBQ for dinner and because the weather was so nice we ate outside. It was a very pleasant meal with a good salad and then vegetables with the main meal. Walter cooked fish for Gail and Edith and steak for himself and me. It is an electric BBQ and it was the first time he has used it. Edith described it as BBQ number 101. We sat talking well into the night.

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