You can’t really travel through Cologne without stopping to see the cathedral. So that’s what we did – a three hour window between trains to check out the infamous gothic church. It was there staring you in the face as soon as you got off the train. Through the glass front doors of the station, you could see the cathedral – well not all of the cathedral but the view through the window gave you a good indication of just how big the cathedral actually was. Before we left we had to find the lockers to store our large backpacks for a few hours while we went for a wander. Cologne has an automated locker system. You deposit money and a roller door opens. You put your bag in; the door closes and delivers your bag to storage. When you return and insert your ticket the graphic shows a conveyor belt moving while the machine searches for your bag in the system. Eventually it retrieves it and it is delivered to you when the roller door once again opens. It was rather painless and really didn’t take much longer than a standard keyed locker.
Like the coliseum at Rome, if you catch the train, there is absolutely no way you could miss the cathedral. If you were in any doubt what a tourist attraction it is, that thought is quickly dismissed when you find a camera shop right at the top of the stairs leading to the cathedral – just in case you forgot to bring your camera or decide that you need to lay down 4000 Euros for a camera that will capture it just right.
You do need a camera though – the cathedral is magnificent. The gothic carvings and the level of detail are superb. The church was built over centuries, starting in the 14th and its scale is nothing short of breathtaking. I, like everyone else, have seen a billion photos of the cathedral but looking at it close-up is definitely a worthwhile experience. Photos don’t clearly capture the intricate detail of the gargoyles or the sheer scale and many different perspectives of the building. And because photos of buildings are designed to show off the building, they don’t show its proximity to the train station, CBD or indeed, the local Christmas market.
After encircling the church, snapping away, we decided to go inside. The other interesting thing about the cathedral is that it is still a functioning church. We had arrived on Sunday for our visit and there was a church service occurring while we were there. Recognising what a tourist attraction the church is, the congregation still allowed visitors to come inside the church while the service was going on but the front part of the church was roped off. You could still wander about the back, take photos of the soaring arches that made up the cavernous church and listen to the choir sing hymns in what was an acoustically rich environment. In some ways it actually made the experience more enriching and real with the service happening – although it did feel a little bit voyeuristic. I lit a candle at the shrine at the v=back of the church and made a donation. It seemed appropriate to do that after invading the congregations worship. (No Woman, No Cry – Xavier Rudd. Obviously this is a Marley classic and usually I’d be completely against that but Xavier and his stomp box do quite a good version.)
From the cathedral we found a coffee shop so Dan, who was now suffering from my cold, could have some respite. We found a place that appeared to only have seating outside but later realised it was just because all the smokers were sitting outside. It is only in recent years that smoking has been made illegal indoors in Germany and the outdoor café setups, although there were some rudimentary heaters, weren’t really as advanced as you find in most cafes in Australia, particularly Canberra.
After a coffee and another so-so hot chocolate, we headed toward the Rhine River – probably one of Germany’s most iconic waterways. The cobblestoned pathways along the riverside were lines 15th and 16th century buildings, many of which had been revamped into taverns and eateries. And there, moored along the Rhine, as expected, were quite a few of those mega cruise ships full of old people that you see advertised on late night TV. It didn’t look quite so inviting and the ads made it seem. It was raining when we arrived and was still very grey. It was then that my camera gave out – I had forgotten to charge it and it has this unnerving habit of turning on and off in my bag. Thank goodness for my phone camera. We wandered through the taverns and gift shops and suddenly found ourselves in the Christmas market – you can’t really avoid them. Dan had by now caught my cold and was feeling like he needed a good sit down. We found a pub and sat down and Dan had his first brunch beer – it was about 11am – The pub itself was a tourist haunt – all dark wood and velvety interior, complete with an automated organ player. We waited and waited for the waiter to return so I could order some food but alas – no. Eventually Dan felt steeled enough to head out into the Christmas market for some lunch.
Dan had been eyeing off the huge meat shaslicks, loaded with glazed pork. I had a taste – it was quite tasty – a bit of a honey bbbq flavour – ant the pork was also quite unexpectedly lean. But one piece was about all I could stomach. I was looking for a less greasy, less pork alternative. And I found it. Hot smoked glazed salmon, being smoked in front of me. It was served on a coleslaw type salad in a bun, with a fork because there was so much salmon, you needed to eat some before you could eat it as a sandwich. I was going to get some potato cakes but we decided to try the deep fried potato chips – very thinly sliced potatoes that were fried like the chips you buy in packets at the supermarket. They were yummy but we were too full already to finish them. From here we wandered a bit more and took a few more shots of the cathedral and watched a German Christmas oompa band play Bon Jovi’s Living on a Prayer. We had actually seen quite a number of different bands gearing up and wondered whether Sunday wasn’t battle of the oompa bands day. From here it was time to get on board the train to our next destination – Stuttgart – entry to the Black forest and home of car museums. (I’m waiting for the man – Lou Reed – RIP one of the true greats. Glad I had the opportunity to see him.)
Christmas themed activities – 11 War museums and model shops – 1.5 Design experiences – 1
