Our trip to Cologne, Germany
Cologne / Germany 3 © guf2001, CC.
With two weeks of mid term holidays for kids, we made our unplanned trip to Cologne, Germany happen—last weekend. The lack of planning cost us, but in retrospect, Cologne was one of the delightful short holidays we took. Some notes from the trip.
Autobahn (driving) sense. One of the first things you’ll notice is the speed with which they come at you from behind, flashing an invisible sign that seems to read: “Get out of my way.” Many—if not most—stretches of Autobahns have no speed limits, and so, as you can imagine, GP doesn’t just happen at Hockenheimring.
Germany this autumn. With speeds at over 140kmph, we couldn’t take pictures of the bright and cheerful autumn trees along the A3 autobahn, but it was a sight that lifted our spirits in an otherwise foggy weather.
Rhine. This beautiful river—meandering through Cologne, and flowing at ease towards the North sea—doesn’t look like it has a history of devastation. At the entrance of Schokoladen museum, I was shocked to see a picture labeled “ice flood” depicting Cologne with Rhine frozen in spate! It is hard to imagine floods, but frozen meters high above, with people waiting for the river to thaw, indeed boggles the mind.
Dom. The greatest attraction and the prime reason we went to Cologne was to see the magnificent Cologne cathedral, better known as the Dom.
Köln Dom © Bruno D Rodrigues, CC.
“Note how its lacy spires and flying buttresses create a sensation of lightness and fragility despite its impressive mass and height” is how Lonely Planet describes the Dom, and I absolutely agree. At an impossible height to width ratio of 3.6:1, this structure makes you work to get it all in one frame. Mortals like me could only manage parts of it.
Cologne Cathedral During WWII © The Rocketeer, CC.
Dom amazes me with this one fact, in particular: it withstood the onslaught of allied bombings and sustained fourteen hits, but refused to collapse.
This is what The Rough Guide to Europe has to say about Dom and Cologne:
“One of the largest Gothic buildings ever constructed, Cologne’s Dom is built on a scale that reflects its power—the archbishop was one of the seven Electors of the Holy Roman Empire, and the Dom remains the seat of the Primate of Germany. The chancel was completed in 1322, but then the extravagant ambition of the plans began to take its toll. In 1560 the project was abandoned, to be resumed only in the nineteenth century, so what you see today is an act of homage from one age to another.”
“The Domschatzkammer in the cellars, entered from the north side of the building, contains a stunning array of treasury items, the original scriptures from the medieval south portal and items excavated from Merovingian royal graves.”
Artifacts in the Domschatzkammer really spelled the meaning of power—for us—in the medieval times. It is no wonder how influential and powerful the holy Roman empire was.
Cologne (Köln) city. “Cologne does spoil its visitors: it heaps on the magnificent architecture, splendid museums, superb theater and concerts, excellent dance clubs, and enormous department stores, and then, if that wasn’t enough, it heaps some great food and beer on top.” —Lonely Planet. I don’t think I can beat that succinct description.
Eau de Cologne. In spite of great icons like the Dom, Cologne interestingly is defined and popularized by a fine print. Eau de Cologne is a fine example. I mean I have known Cologne before I knew Dom, thanks to a product I used.
Determined to visit the home of Eau de Cologne, we visited Glockengasse No. 4711 to pick up a few original Eau de toilette products, whose ingredients have remained a secret to this day. They have a delicious fragrance, I admit.
We also visited Römisch-Germanishes museum to learn a thing or two about Roman occupation of Germany; and also because Aaryana is learning about Romans in school this season.
We could have easily spent a couple more days exploring Cologne, Rhine and those alluring shopping streets, but it was time to head home. Cologne, and Germany—in general—is beautiful. I’d recommend it to anyone.
Cologne Cathedral: Dompropst Margarethenkloster 5, 50667 Cologne, DE.
Eau de Cologne: Glockengasse No. 4711 Cologne, DE.
Chocolate Museum: Am Schokoladenmuseum 1a 50678 Cologne, DE.
4711, architecture, cologne, gothic, medieval, WWII
Seems like a great trip. Somehow the unplanned trips turn out to be the most memorable ones. That said, we still end up planning down to the last detail.
The best part of living in Europe is the ability to take such short trips and explore one place in great details instead of trying to do everything at once, which might be the case for tourists from India or the U.S.
Oct 31, 07 at 22:53I agree. With a plan, you set some expectations. But when they don’t all happen, you feel let down, inspite of a good trip.
Nov 1, 07 at 10:50