Cologne

On a cloudy day in Cologne, I was here to see the world famous and one of the largest cathedrals in the world! Coincidentally, my hotel upgraded me to a Cathedral view room - a photo below:



As a Hilton gold member, I enjoyed an extensive hotel breakfast that also included champagne. Originally I wanted a mimosa, but the waitress brought me both orange juice and champagne. I told her she should try it sometime and she said it sounded delicious! After healthy helpings of eggs, bacon, sausage, and roasted tomatoes, I headed south of the city to one of the many Romanesque churches - this is the cloister of St. Maria im Kapitol:



I came here specifically for the famous 3 kings arch which apparently is original and the last of its kind:



Afterwards, I walked through the city and passed the destroyed Old St. Albans church which they have left open with replicas of famous statues, called “Mourning Parents”. The Germans must have really toiled throughout the years about what to repair and what to leave as the country has such a difficult war history.



Right next to the church was the Wallraf-Richartz Museum which houses medieval and modern works. I purchased a Museum Card that would get me into the various museums.



From the third floor picture window, you get a great view of the Cathedral as well as an excavation site next door:



There were many wonderful pieces - Rubens, Rembrandt, Monet, and others; but the most famous painting here is the “Madonna in Rose Bower” by Stefan Lochner. Its nicknamed the “Mona Lisa of Cologne”:



Across the street was the original perfumery where cologne was invented! It was “eau de cologne” or “water of cologne”, which is a lighter perfume.



I then headed up to the Cathedral for noon day mass. I enjoyed the mass even though it was entirely in German. For Communion, there were many lines and essentially one large crowd where the priests walked back and forth. It was like windshield wipers, giving out Communion. Not sure if it was more efficient, but I’m sure if the Germans felt there was a better way, they would have figured it out. Some photos of my Cathedral visit as I walked around after mass:





The modern window to the south that was recently designed with the help of a computer randomly selected the arrangement of the stained glass - it’s meant to look like pixels:



Some traditional stained glass windows:





And the shrine to the 3 wise men or magi! Apparently their remains were brought here from Italy and therefore, the Cathedral is a popular catholic pilgrimage. The shrine sits at the beautiful high altar:



The altar piece of the three kings by Stefan Lochner:



And the Crucifix of Gero from the 10th century:



After exploring the inside, I decided to climb the tower over 530 steps and 100 meters up. I got a little dizzy spiraling up and down, but it was an adventure and cool to see Cologne from up high. There were signs that said “no lift, no joke”. Indeed, it was a serious matter!







A sweaty selfie:



On the way down, the belfry was open, so I got to check out the bells in the steeple:



Right next to the Cathedral are two museums. I first went to Museum Ludwig which is known for very modern art.



Here’s a David Hockney next to another art piece which I thought was a real woman who got too close to the art!



On Kawara giving a shout out to my birthday:



A Picasso:



Chagall’s “Sabbath”:



 A Kirchner:



Then I went to the Romano-Germanic Museum which although was going through a renovation, allowed small groups to come in and see the Dionysus Mosaic. This was discovered when they were trying to build an air raid bunker next to the Cathedral. Apparently, it was the site of a Roman villa and they built the museum around it. In front of the mosaic, they installed the Tomb of Lucius Poblicius. The small groups were led by a lecturer who spoke for about 20 minutes in German. I didn’t understand anything, but wanted to see the works up close:









It was around 4 pm at this point, so I popped myself down in front of the Cathedral at Café Reichard where I ordered mushroom and cream pasta with some bitter lemon Schweppes. I enjoyed the ringing of the bells and the people watching.





Then I returned to the hotel, washed up, and watched some football at the bar restaurant. Coincidentally, Bremen was playing and won their match - go Bremen! I picked up my luggage, walked over to the train station, and was on my way to Bremen to see the Thomas sisters! A photo of the station below:



The train ride was just less than 3 hours and Tresa was kind enough to pick me up from the train station with her husband Roland. I last saw Tresa in Spain when we walked the Camino. When I arrived, Mary Ann had just put her nieces to bed and we chatted over wine and some plums quietly. Not only were Tresa’s daughters asleep, but also Mary Ann and Tresa’s mother who was visiting from India. Indeed it is a packed house these next few days, but I can’t wait to relax and spend time with the family in Bremen!