Cologne
Wow -- what a day!
Our bus to Cologne didn't leave until noon, so after breakfast, a few of us decided to explore Bonn some more. Later in the day, Villa Hammerschmidt, the German White House, would be open for a reception with the German president, so we decided to head in that direction. We walked along the Rhine River and then turned onto the street behind the complex where Villa Hammerschmidt is located. Up until German reunification, Bonn was Germany's capital. Many federal offices are still located in the city and the Villa Hammerschmidt is still used for special occasions. Even though it was much more low-key than what we might see at home in the U.S., there was a definite police presence, so we decided that it wouldn't be a good idea for bumbling American tourists to get in their way. We made a long loop around the complex and headed back to the river and the hotel.
We took a bus north to Cologne and to say that people were gasping in awe as we disembarked is not an exaggeration. The Cologne Cathedral, Kölner Dom in German, dominated our view. Sometimes when we see things in real life that we have only seen in pictures they can be underwhelming. One of the stories that will live forever in my family's lore was when we visited the Grand Canyon and my daughter, who was five or six at the time, asked, "Where's the Grand Canyon?" Then, there are times when things are so much more amazing and magnificent than you thought they'd be. The Cologne Cathedral was one of those places. It was incredible.
The exterior of the cathedral, including some of the many gargoyles and a view of the church as you approach it from the Rhine River.
At over 500 feet tall, the cathedral is one of the tallest churches in the world. Construction on the cathedral began in the 13th century and wasn't completed until the late 19th century -- more than 600 years. The cathedral is home to what are purported to be the remains of the three Wisemen from the biblical Christmas story. They are found in the Shrine of the Three Kings, the golden box that can just be seen in the background of the photo on the right, below.
A view of the altar and the reliquary of the Three Kings (right) and the stained glass window named "Symphony of Light" by German artist Gerhard Richter in 2007 (left).
When we first arrived, a service was in progress. The orchestra only made the interior of the cathedral seem even more impressive.
When we returned a couple of hours later, we were able to explore more of the cathedral. Then, three of us decided to embrace the challenge of climbing the staircase to the observation platform at the top of one of the towers. We each paid our €6, took a deep breath, and began the climb up the narrow spiral staircase. It didn't take long at all for the burn to set in and we were grateful for the few breaks we needed to take as we made room for people on their way down. After reaching an open-aired chamber, we moved on to a metal staircase that brought us to the final platform. The views of the cathedral's architectural details and the surrounding city were fantastic.
We spent several minutes absorbing the views from all of the different angles and taking the requisite photos. Like many German cities, Cologne is full of churches and cathedrals; it was amazing looking down on them from the spire of an even larger cathedral. We eventually made our way down the exit stairs and to the bells. A very narrow passageway that was just about shoulder-wide led us around the 11 massive bells, the largest of which weighs more than 50,000 pounds. The way down the spiral staircase was much quicker, but no less tricky, than the way up. When we made it back outside we began the hunt for cold beverages -- we earned them!
While the cathedral was the highlight of the trip to Cologne, we also had a two-hour walking tour around the city. Like Bonn, Cologne was a Roman colony. In fact, the name "Cologne" comes from the word "colony." We learned about the wealth brought to the city when it was the largest port on the Rhine during the Middle Ages, the destruction that World War II wrought, and we saw for ourselves the modern Cologne's status as a destination for bachelorette and bachelor parties.
Below are photos of some of the oldest buildings in Cologne at the Fischmarkt (fish market) and of the Heinzelmännchenbrunnen, the Heinzelmännchen Fountain. The Heinzelmännchen were little people like elves or gnomes who did all of the work for the people of Cologne during the night. When they were tricked by the tailor's wife into revealing themselves, they left the city forever and the humans had to do all of the work themselves.
We ended our time in Cologne with dinner at Brauhaus Sünner im Walfisch, an old-fashioned brewhouse in a 16th-century building. The proprietor was a perfectly gruff grouch who, by the end of the evening, was cracking jokes and taking photos with members of our group.
It was a full day in Cologne, so when we made it back to Bonn, I turned in early 😴.
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