Day 11 - Smelling Good with Cologne

Day 11 – Wednesday, April 1 – Cathedral Day

As I opened my blinds when I awoke, our ship was docking in Cologne and there it was … the towering spires of the Cologne cathedral! We had a later start (thankfully), and after breakfast we started our walking tour with Tammy (Group 34D, tuned to channel 4). It was our first bright sunny day, albeit still a bit cool – upper 30’s but going not 50 or so. We were excited for our day. 

We walked along the river with Tammy pointing out the highlights as we gradually wandered through cobblestone streets and old Roman walls and stone-paved streets making our way to the cathedral.

We arrived at the south side of the cathedral, and the façade for the side door/entry was as large as most any church/cathedral I have seen. The exceedingly ornate gothic details are difficult to explain without seeing them – in pictures if necessary and in person if possible. We got all the details about the highest twin spires in the world, the 120,000 tons of stone that is visible and the 120,000 tons of stone below the ground in the foundation. We got a brief stop inside the cathedral with the promise that we could return on our own time in the afternoon. More on the inside later. The cathedral suffers from centuries of soot/dirt and has many dark surfaces. Attempts are continually being made to clean the stones, but they have to be exceedingly careful not to deteriorate the soft sandstone.

 

Youi might be able to see the tiny speck or ornamentation at the top of the main spires. It’s so very high (515 feet – 157 meters) that they look small and delicate. In the square in front of the cathedral there is an exact replica of the same ornamentation at the top. Look at this thing! Solid stone weighing tons that dwarfs the people around it. How did they get two of those up to the top of those spires and place them precisely?!? How did they build spires that cold hold this monstrosity of gothic ornamentation? 

We broke away from the tour to stay in town for more touring on our own and to return to the cathedral. We went to a walk-up pastry shop for a Berliner (a jelly filled pastry) and a chocolate covered pretzel with toasted almonds. Whoa - very good! We then went to Café Richard, which  came highly recommended as the “best pastry shop in Europe” from Mark’s French colleague who has travelled all over Europe. I recommend the apple strudel. Wonderbar!!!

Oh, and did I mention the origin of ladies fragrances – sometimes known as cologne? 

 

  

We then returned to the cathedral, and I won’t even try to describe the enormity, the grandeur, the glorious stained glass, the gold reliquaries, … I cannot explain enough. I just leave you some pictures. Note that the stained glass windows below are about 6 stories high and 30 feet wide! 

 

    

    

  

In the crypt, there are nine cardinals entombed and a very interesting design on the landing of the steps down to the crypt. It is an octagonal version of the maze from the Mediterranean island of Minos, Greek mythology as well as from native Indians in the southwest of the US. How does this symbol show up in different cultures on different continents and across millennia? You will also see the circular version of it carved into an ancient stone in my backyard! 

 We made our way back to the ship by mid-afternoon, with a slight detour to the Lindt Chocolate Museum, which was just a quarter-mile down the river front from where our ship was docked. Steve bought some chocolate for the group who had returned a bit earlier to have some drinks and conversation on the top deck of ship. Now, Carol had brought an offering of a small bag of plain cashews and pretzels that she got at the five-and-dime store in Cincinnati. When Steve joined, he laid out his bags of chocolate  - chocolate covered cashews, chocolate bars of multiple flavors - from Lindt. So, here we were IN THE SHADOW OF THE LINDT CHOCOLATE MUSEUM and Carol is peddling kiddie snacks. Well, we all jumped on the Lindt goodies to the delight of everyone.

The afternoon on the top deck of the ship was enjoyable. But now it was time for the German pub crawl tour with dinner at a traditional German pub. Our first stop was dinner at Peter’s Brauhaus where we had an appetizer plate of sausages, cheeses, cole slaw, liverwurst, etc. followed by a meal of pork tenderloin covered in grille onions, potatoes and beans. Very traditional. There we learned about drinking Kolsch – the local beer of Cologne. It can only be called Kolsch if it is brewed inside the boundaries of the city of Cologne. As most know, I am not a beer drinker but resolved to take a taste just in case the Cologne Germans had come up with a beer that actually tastes good. Well, to me it tasted like something you would make prisoners of war drink as a torture or as their only option after being deprived of liquid for 3 days. For others, it was good. And the small skinny glasses used to serve Kolsch are continually refilled by the waiter until you put your coaster over the top of your glass. No need to ask for a refill! [Note: the inside of the Brauhaus felt so authentic German pub with stain glass and artwork that seemed quintessential German.] I went to the next pub for more Kolsch with the group but refrained from drinking. I went back to the ship with Don (where there was a full moon rising over our longboat] while Mark/Carol and Kurt/Mary continued on to the next two pubs. [Note: Our guide was so proud to be German and Colognian. He couldn’t say enough about how wonderful these pubs and their Kolsch were.]

    

  

The merriment continued on the ship in the lounge. We departed Cologne at around 10:30pm (2230) and were alerted that there would be beautiful views of the city and cathedral lit up. We were not disappointed as we went to the chilly upper deck for views and pictures to end our evening.