Cologne, Germany

Our ship traveled the 150 or so miles from Kinderdijk to Cologne from early yesterday afternoon until sometime before noon.  Most of us were dropped off at a tiny, rustic-looking (and rusty) dock, seemingly in the middle of nowhere for a 30-minute bus ride into Cologne. There we met our guide Sarah on “the wrong side” of Cologne. That area afforded the best views of the cathedral, I suppose. Here you can see the cathedral and the Hohenzollern bridge. The bridge is designed only for pedestrians and trains. Our guide told us 1300 trains serve Cologne daily.

Our group walked across the bridge, as Sarah pointed out the four million or so “love locks” attached to the bridge. Each lock is inscribed with the names of couples and the date, and the tradition is to throw the keys into the river to ensure everlasting love.  

Sarah explained a lot about the cathedral’s history, including the fact that it was virtually the only building left standing after World War II. Some of the stained glass windows were moved to safety before the worst of the bombing, then reinstalled later.  Under the gold cross atop a central spire rest holy relics, bones of the Magi, “given” — actually “taken,” according to our guide, from Milan.

We briefly went into the cathedral, which had some beautiful stained glass and imposing architecture.

Then we walked into the old town to see the state house. Our guide had several interesting stories about some of the many characters depicted around the building. Since the UEFA championship is happening here, supporters from Belgium and Romania, who play tonight, were everywhere, dressed in team colors and singing and chanting.  Quite lively!  A chalk artist was working on this design outside the cathedral. 

Charlie and I headed back to our ship, which had docked across the river by then, in time for a 12:30 lunch. The Kimbros planned to have lunch in the area and sight-see a little more.im writing this after a nice lunch, followed by a much-needed nap!  Tomorrow we dock in Koblenz and will ride a gondola up a mountain to Ehrenbreitstein Fortress.