It was time to go back to Germany, this time to Cologne and hopefully much better weather than our visit to Hamburg. We arrived at Köln/Bonn Flughafen and took the short train journey into the city, it is literally 15 minutes away and the good news was it was hot hot hot. Nothing can prepare you for stepping out of the station and the sight of the Cathedral, but back to that later. First it was.. yes… beer o’clock. It amazes me that Dad’s watch can accurately tell the time when it always seems to beer o’clock!
We grabbed a table outside Gaffel am Dom, which is a brewhouse in the shadows of the Cathedral. We tried the local style of beer, called Kölsch, which is warm fermented with top-fermenting yeast, then conditioned at cold temperatures like a lager – it is often referred to as a hybrid of ale and lager. It is traditionally served in a tall, thin, cylindrical 20cl glass called a Stange and has to be brewed within 30 miles of the city to be called called a Kölsch.
Instead of waiting for the drinker to order a refill, the server immediately replaces an empty Stange with a full one, marking a tick on the coaster under the Stange. If the drinker does not want another refill, they place the coaster on top of the empty Stange and pay for the number of beers marked on the coaster. Simple! But this bear smells danger here! Here we go again! To be fair the humans got some awesome traditional German food to soak up the huge number of beers they had!
There is plenty to keep you occupied in Cologne, starting with the Cathedral, which is Germany’s most visited landmark, attracting an average of 20,000 people a day. At 157m (515 ft), the cathedral is currently the tallest twin-spired church in the world, the second tallest church in Europe and the third tallest church in the world. It’s also the largest Gothic church in Northern Europe. It’s construction started in 1248, but was paused for nearly 400 years and not completed until 1880. It is equally impressive inside and we spent a good while admiring the beautiful stained glass windows. Close by was Museum Ludwig, which houses a collection of modern art. It includes works from Pop Art, Abstract and Surrealism, and has one of the largest Picasso collections in Europe. It holds many works by Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein.
Also, near by was the Hohenzollern Bridge, which you cross in the train when you arrive into the city. It is the most heavily used railway bridge in Germany with more than 1,200 trains daily. The bridge has become part of one of Cologne’s most charming traditions. As proof of their love, couples fix padlocks to the railings of the bridge and to ensure everlasting love, they then throw the key into the Rhine river below. It is estimated that more than 40,000 padlocks are now on the bridge and 40,000 keys are at the bottom of the river! Talking of the river, it’s lovely to have a walk along the big promenade from the bridge up to the “Altstadt”, where the city slowly starts.
One final place to mention is the Steiff Galerie. I made Mum and Dad visit so we could check up on my German cousins. Everyone was good and well and it was great to finally meet them. Tourist things covered, I’ll fill you in on some of the places we visited for “Essen und Trinken” whilst in Cologne. First, a mention to Osteria am Dom, a nice Italian restaurant, just two minutes walk from the Cathedral. Mum and Dad both tucked into the US XL Burger, which was about the size of their heads and very tasty.
We also stopped at a Thai place next to the river called Karibik. This was just for drinks, but definitely worth a mention for the very awesome Bananenweizen (Banana Wheat Beer) that Mum had there. Finally, a shout to Cafe Stanton in the shopping district, where we had our last few Dunkel beers in Cologne. Time to head back to the hotel and get some sleep before the ludicrously early start in the morning to catch the flight home.