Two days to sightsee in Cologne and explore its amazing cathedral
The bells of the cathedral and numerous churches in the neighbourhood of our hotel provide us with a constant musical reminder of our proximity to the historic centre of Cologne. Our top floor room looks onto a courtyard of apartments and we can see that everybody is staying as still as possible, near their windows. The unrelenting heat has continued unabated for our stay and the forecast for thunder storms has not materialized. Our hotel is not air conditioned, but they have provided us with a fan, which we have kept running non-stop. We are very pleased with Central Am Dom (Cathedral) Hotel - a great hot/cold breakfast buffet and the location is superb. Upon arrival, the only glitch was the unavailability of storage for our bike - we refused to leave it on the street or at the train station - the head housekeeper came to our rescue and directed Barry, with our bike, up a series of steps and on to the roof....a challenge but certainly secure storage! So, for our stay, the bike will stay put and we'll explore on foot. We couldn't resist going back to Globetrotters store for another visit. An amazing place - today scuba divers were testing equipment in the pool. We walked through the Turkish section of town and could hear the cheers of crowds of people in the biergartens watching their local soccer team on TV. The city has been full of enthusiastic fans dressed outrageously in their team's colours. No matter where you go in Cologne, the Dom/Cathedral dominates the skyline. Late at night, it is a treat to visit the square when it is quiet and admire the illuminated cathedral. On Sunday morning, we attended a special musical mass which featured a visiting choir and the outstanding pipe organ. As well, we were lucky that the monthly market along the Rhine Promenade was happening on this Sunday. The market stretched for kms. and we walked, ate at the food stalls and enjoyed the ambience. We have found that Cologne offers much to explore - especially when you can give it some time.
Globetrotters store in Koln - nirvana for camping gear hounds like us. Barry is taking advantage of their many interactive "try out their products" areas and taking a much needed break from the rigours of shopping!
Kolsch, the local beer of Koln. Due to the rivalries between Koln and Dusseldorf, it would be potentially life threatening and thus a huge mistake to ask for the a beer from Dusseldorf. Like the 100 km diet - it is best to drink the local beer.
Globetrotter is a great store, made extra special by the excellence of their staff. As well as being most knowledgable about their stock, their friendly professionalism was appreciated. I admired her haircut, and she brought me a map and info on where to find her hairdresser the following day.
Shopping is hard work - we emerged from the air conditioned splendour of Globetrotters and sought out a bakery. Raspberry chocolate torte helped to revive us. We had just bought the hand fans and they came to good use.
On this hot, 36 plus celsius degree, evening, we decided to go to a movie thinking that it would be air-conditioned. Well it wasn't and we went anyway.
Koln Cathedral illuminated. Staying a block away, we often went for a stroll at night to cool off, have an ice cream cone and admire the view of this cathedral.
