The Dom Cathedral - the major site of Cologne
The main bridge spanning the Rhine River
A look down the Rhine River
Busy streets on a Saturday
A beer wagon - people sit and pedal while going around the city - all the while drinking
Interesting fountain next to a cafe I was sitting besideSaturday, October 2nd
Today was a really good day - relaxing. I ended up spending the day in Cologne (Koln). It was overcast with a little rain - but not bad at all. Actually, it was perfect weather for this style of city. October weather, about 50 degrees - throw on a jacket and make it happen.
Cologne reminds me alot of Edinburgh, Scotland. It has that old, historic feel about it. It was founded in 38 BC. Plus, the main attraction of Cologne - the Dom Cathedral - made me think about the Scott Monument in Edinburgh. Now, let me clarify by saying that the Dom Cathedral is substantially more impressive. It has these 2 huge twin spires. It took more than 600 years to complete the Dom. Construction was begun over some Roman ruins after Frederick Barbarossa donated the relics of the Three Magi to Cologne, establishing the city as a major pilgrimage destination. The picture of this cathedral - overlooking the Rhine River - can be found on almost every postcard in town.
I found out that the Cologne Marathon will be held tomorrow. Man - I'm not going out searching for these marathon sites - I'm just arbitrarily running into them. Vilnius, Berlin - now Cologne. Weird. This marathon consists of 12,000 runners - about 1/4 the size of Berlin. Cities all over the world have marathon events. It's a big-time money maker. Most of the food/drinks are donated and the workers are volunteers. The city gets the reward of an influx of people, staying in their hotels, eating in their restaurants, and touring their attractions - a winning equation.
The streets were packed. I couldn't believe how many people were out. It was shoulder to shoulder in the main tourist section of town. I stopped in a couple cafes and had a drink while taking in the atmosphere. I then walked across the bridge spanning the Rhine River. Impressive. The 2 main train stations are positioned just off the central bridge on either side of the river. There were a bunch of locks on this fence segment on the bridge. The locks had been placed by couples after getting married. I've seen this in other cities as well - it must be the thing to do in Europe -- place a lock on a bridge for symbolism. Perhaps this is done in the US?
Within Germany, Cologne is known as a major media center. Several television and radio stations have their headquarters in the city. There's also several museums of note - Museum Ludwig, Germano-Roman Museum, and the Wallraf-Richartz Museum.
I didn't do any tours within the buildings. I just spent my time walking and looking at the sites. Very nice city - definitely a solid day-trip at minimum.
I hope to take a Rhine River tour tomorrow. Good night for now.
No comments:
Post a Comment