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!

Frankfurt

After breakfast at my hotel, I headed out to explore Frankfurt. To be honest, there isn’t much to Frankfurt compared to other cities as it’s mostly known for being a massive business hub. However, the flight here was cheaper than to Cologne and I thought it would be worth a day.

As my hotel is in the train station area, it’s really gritty and the hotel clerk advised to get to the old city along the picturesque river walk. Before going to the old city, I crossed the Holbein bridge to get to the Städel Museum. I hadn’t really planned on a museum, but decided to check it out. Here are some photos of my walk across the bridge to get to the museum:





I’m so glad that I did, as it was a small museum, but highly representative of all the famous masters and artists of the past few centuries. I got a discount due to my Frankfurt Card which also includes free transportation. However, I walked all day and it really covered my train ride from the airport to central city. The ticket lady thought for some reason I could speak German. Not sure what about me says that I can, and I was embarrassed to tell her I didn’t, but she seemed excited nonetheless. Here’s the entrance:



A few highlights from the collection...A Renoir:



Max Liebermann’s “Samson and Delilah”:



Gustave Moreau’s “Pièta”:



Max Beckmann’s “The Synagogue in Frankfurt Am Main”:



One of many Kirchner’s:



Jan Van Eyck’s “Lucca Madonna”:



A Botticelli:



A Canaletto:



Agnolo Bronzino’s “Portrait of a Red Lady”:

A Holbein altar piece which is missing the Entombment scene which was apparently lost:



Warhol’s “Goethe”:



After exiting the museum, I walked along the river walk where there was a street fair / flea market:



Then I crossed back over the river on the famous Eiserner iron bridge:



A view of the cathedral from the bridge and some love locks:



And a selfie on the bridge:



The bridge crossing brings you straight into Romerburg, the famous square with the many half-timbered houses:







I then headed to the Cathedral which apparently isn’t technically a cathedral as a bishop isn’t seated there. However, it is an honorary cathedral due to its historical importance and the place where many kings have been crowned. A look inside:



After meandering and following some tourist groups a little bit, I sat down in Paulsplatz where I enjoyed a cheeseburger and bitter lemon Schweppes for lunch. I then headed to Goethehaus, the birthplace and home of the famous German literary writer, Goethe. Here they reconstructed the home and made an adjoining museum of artwork contemporary with his time. Here’s the facade:

And “The Evening Star” by Caspar David Friedrich in the museum:



There were many Asian tourists here. Not sure if Goethe is that popular, but I did see the most Asians in one place since I’ve been in Germany! As I was whizzing through my day, I decided to rest in the auditorium space since my feet were tired, but also because there was proper air conditioning!

John and I lamented throughout our Berlin museum hopping that there was no air conditioning. As in many places in Europe, they are very energy and environmentally conscious and it’s not that hot most of the year. Although it’s been warm and sunny, my gripe has been with the stale air with so many bodies in the museum galleries - circulation is clutch!

I wandered the city, walked through many street fairs, an Indian festival, and made my way to the famous stock exchange which had the appropriate bull and bear statues:



I walked through the famous snack alley on Grosse Brockenheimer Street which is famous for food and drinks. I wasn’t particularly hungry, so I just people watched as I navigated the many benches and stalls. I ended up by the Alte Opera house, pictured below:



They were having some activities for the Fransport Skyliners basketball team, which included wheelchair basketball, music, dancing, and lots of tall people. I got a sparkling honey dew soda which was recommended by the food truck guy and watched a few drumming performances by a German drum line squad.

I then walked downtown and back to my hotel where I rested and washed up. I felt like middle eastern for some reason and the area had lots of ethnic food. So the hotel clerk recommended, Nefis Kebab House - definitely a local joint. Here’s my dinner plate with peach iced tea:



Then after dinner, I returned to my hotel, picked up my luggage, and headed early to the train station which was 2 blocks away. Here’s a photo:



Headed to Cologne for an overnight like in Frankfurt, my train took about 90 minutes. The Hilton that I reserved was again just across the street from the train station for easy in and out access. Tomorrow I explore Cologne before making my way up to Bremen!